Only Half of Me
by EmPro8
Summary: Mabel and Dipper Pines come home from one exhausting summer break, and they expect the school year to be a break FROM the break. But everything changes when they get letters from a certain owl. Dipper and Mabel Pines are wizards, and both are summoned to Hogwarts. But only one arrives. The big question is, what happened to the other twin?
1. Chapter 1: Letters from Owls

**Yes! I know what you are thinking.** ** _'Ugh. Just another generic, stereotypical crossover of a cannon character from some random universe going to Hogwarts. The character(s) shall get there, instantly become friends with Harry, and then the story will be abandoned within the first five chapters.'_** **Well, not today! I am going to take perhaps the most generic crossover idea in the fandoms, and warp it, change it, design it into something completely new and unique! Yes, my good sirs and ma'ams. I do** ** _not_** **plan to make this crossover fall into an 'extra ordinary' category. Instead, I shall make it extraordinary! Be prepared for feels! Shocks! Slow updates! Times when I really want to abandon this and almost do! Action! Betrayal! And the cliffies!** ** _So many_** **cliffies!**

 **Yes, my good readers who had the patience to read through my insignificant monologue, this is a crossover idea!** ** _My_** **crossover idea! And I shall torture thee no longer! Scroll down, and read my story!**

 **Chapter One: Letters from Owls**

Mabel ran into her brother's room excitedly, "DIPPPERRRRR!"

"Ack!" Dipper Pines gave a very unmanly squeal and fell out of his chair, "Mabel! Don't _do_ that!" he growled as he picked up his fallen book.

"Sorry," she giggled, "It's just that we got a letter!"

"Already? We've only been here for like, what? Two days? I doubt they would have written one so fast," he sighed as he sat on his bed and began to read, "Scratch that. It wouldn't even be able to _arrive_ in two days. The postal service in Gravity Falls is terrible."

"No silly! We got a letter from a magical owl!" she flapped her arms and ran around the room in a poor imitation of an owl, "It landed on Waddle's head!"

Dipper only sighed and flipped the page, "Mabel, you're going have to try harder than that to fool me."

"No! I'm like, actually telling the truth!"

"Sure. And I'm Time Baby."

"Seriously! It's one-billion percent true!"

"One-billion percent, huh?" Dipper rolled over and set down his book, "Alright, I'll here you out."

"Yes!" the twin did a fist pump and hopped onto the bed, "So I was like, just out in the yard, being absolutely _adorable_ when a huge shadow passed over my head. And I thought it was one of those weird bat-eye things so I grabbed my grappling hook—"

"I thought Mom took away that?"

"No, no. It's the _crossbow_ she took away. I hid my grappling hook under my sweater."

"Ah. Go on."

"Anyway, I shot up and _totally_ missed. But then the thing swooped down and landed on Waddles. And he was _such_ a cute little owl! And it was so cool! He didn't even fly away or anything! It just sat there with two letters on his leg and he held it out and I was all like _whaaa…?"_

Dipper raised an eyebrow, "Okay, let me get this straight. An owl landed on Waddle's head, held out it's—"

"His."

"His," Dipper corrected, "Held out _his_ leg, and you took the letters?"

"Yup!"

"Mabel!" he began pacing, "What if it was a trap or something? You don't just take random letters from random owls and then read the—"

"They're right here."

"Ahhh!" Dipper jumped back and grabbed at his hat (a nervous habit he developed over the past two days), "Mabel! That can blow up in your face! Here, give them to me. I'll handle it."

Mabel rolled her eyes but handed over the letters, knowing it was the only way to get her brother to calm down.

"Okay…" Dipper examined the letters closely while holding it with his sleeve, "Fancy paper… weird animal wax mark on the front…" he turned it around and narrowed his eyes, "To Dipper Pines? Second floor, third room to the right? That's _very_ specific, Mabel."

"That's what I thought!"

Dipper _hmm_ ed and tapped his chin, "I'd say it was those government guys, but we erased their memory and… well, that's not the president's symbol. Maybe Jeff is still trying to get you for their queen? But we didn't tell him where we lived…"

"Can't we just open it already?"

"No! This is an anomaly! Great Uncle Ford told me to treat anomalies with special care, so that's what I'm going to do!"

"Sounds to me someone is 'anomaly hungry'" she teased.

"Anomaly what?"

"Just give me the letters."

"But Mabel—!"

"If you don't I'll stuff glitter in your bed!"

There was a moment of tense silence. Grumbling, Dipper reluctantly handed over the letter.

"Thank _you!"_ Mabel carelessly ripped open the top of the letter, ignoring the grimace her brother gave, and started to read, " _Dear Ms. M Pines—_ oh! That's me!— _we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We usually would give you a much larger space of time to owl a message back, but due to circumstances, we were unable to do that. Please forgive us for the inconvenience. We will send a staff member to collect you shortly after the letter's arrival. Yours sincerely,_ _ **Minerva McGonagall.**_ _"_ Mabel narrowed her eyes and shuffled through the papers, _"Three sets of plain work robes (black), One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear, One winter coat (black, with silver—_ Ugh! Who the heck chose the fashion?"

Dipper furrowed his brows and took the letter from his sister, "It's too official to be a prank… and I know _you_ wouldn't write all of that without adding a pink dress the uniform list."

"It wouldn't be pink! It'd be rainbow with glitter on it!"

Dipper began to pace, "Hogwarts? What even is that?"

"Maybe it's that lotion I ordered for Waddles."

"You ordered lotion for a pig?" Dipper asked incredulously.

 _"_ _You ordered lotion for a pig?"_ she mimicked.

"Hey!"

 _"_ _Hey!"_

"Yeah, yeah, real mature, Mabel."

"Yeah Dipper. Real mature, copying me like that."

Dipper glared and Mabel stifled a giggle. He sighed and turned back to the letter, _"We will send a staff member to collect you shortly…?_ What does that even mean?"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the downstairs door. They heard their mother open it and some muffled talking.

"Kids!" called the voice of their mother, "There's a teacher down here! She wants to talk to you. Dipper, you didn't happen to sign up for any fancy boarding schools without us knowing, did you?"

 **"** **I'm pretty sure the mailman's a werewolf."**

 **Soos.**

 **Okay. So on a more serious note for my long-term followers, I'm sorry I disappeared for a while there. And no, I unfortunately don't think I'll be doing anything for Emily Wise. Sorry, but I moved on to this. I've been working on this fanfic for a very long time (ever since 'Worst Fears' was came out) and frankly I am very nervous about posting this. But I made a goal to get in online by the time Journal 3 Special Edition came out. I really do not plan on abandoning this, but I can not guarantee a sequel (so be prepared about that). I plan on posting a new chapter a week. I'm sorry that I haven't written anything for a while, but I can assure you this story will be well worth the wait. I've been working pretty hard on this. Where Emily Wise was practice for my OCs, 'Half of Me' is going to be practice for writing conflict and plotlines.**

 **...anyway, yeah. I know this is a short chapter but it'll get better! Reviews are helpful! Thank you in advance!**


	2. Chapter 2: Regrets?

**Okay so I decided to update early. I was going to wait for Monday, but this is a pretty short chapter and I don't think it matters too much. Besides, I need to start getting people interested.**

 **Chapter Two: Regrets?**

"C'mon Dipper! We'll be late!"

"Mabel! Ugh! Stupid British carts! Mabel! Wait a second!"

Mabel stopped so suddenly Dipper nearly rammed into her, "Okay! Our ticket says Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Sounds fancy. Is it a British thing?"

"Let me see that!" Dipper snatched the ticket out of his sister's hands and stared, "Nine and Three-Quarters? What the heck is that? Why didn't we ask when that lady was with us?"

It had been two days since Dipper and Mabel learned that they were magical. It came as quite a shock to their parents, and it was for the twins too. Or at least, it would have, if it wasn't for what they had seen over the summer. Compared to gnomes and demons, it seemed almost normal.

Since then, the 'witch-y lady' (put in Mabel's words) has helped them shop for clothes, wands, spell books, and anything else they would need. Including pets. Dipper got an owl while Mabel _almost_ got a cat. But the letter said that they could only bring _one_ pet, and when it comes to cats or Waddles, there's hardly competition.

Dipper's owl gave a loud dignified _squawk!_ It was brown and short, with wide, golden eyes that had circle patterns around them, giving it the impression that it was wearing some sort of feathered glasses. Dipper stroked it soothingly, "Well, the first thing to do is to find Platform Nine."

"There it is!" Mabel shouted. Dipper blinked. "Huh, that was fast. Next thing: find a way to get to the Three-Quarters part."

They walked to the Platform Nine sign. Dipper studied it carefully, "Maybe it's not even here. Maybe there's some sort of magical wizard train in a different station? Hopefully she didn't bring us to the wrong place…"

Mabel studied the brick pillar too. Suddenly, an idea popped to her mind. "Ding! Idea!"

"Uh oh. I hate it when you say _'ding'._ "

"Don't worry, bro-bro! It'll be fine!" she backed up with her cart as far as she could, a wide grin slowly spreading itself across her face.

"Uh… Mabel?"

Mabel charged right toward the wall, aiming for the middle. Just when she was about to hit, she disappeared. Dipper ran over to the wall, "Mabel? MABEL!?"

No answer.

He groaned loudly and backed his own cart up, "I know I'm going to regret this." With a shout, the younger twin charged and he too, disappeared behind the wall. When Dipper opened his eyes, he saw his sister standing in awe. And Dipper didn't have to wait long to figure out what she was staring at.

All around him, there was magic.

Paper planes flew with purpose through the room. Owls fluttered from rafter to rafter. There was an occasional flash of light or explosion that seemingly came from nowhere. A consistent buzz of chatter filled the air. The very station itself seemed to breathe life.

"Woah."

"Yeah," Mabel agreed.

They stood there for a few more seconds.

"This isn't at all like Gravity Falls."

"Nope."

"… You ready?"

"Maybe-ish."

"Yeah. Me too," Dipper agreed. A few more seconds of silence between the two. "Welp, let's head in."

Dipper fingered his cart and was about to enter the crowd when Mabel grabbed his arm, _"Dipper,"_ she hissed.

"Huh? What is it now?"

"I just saw a creepy guy take something from someone else's bag," she pointed to a dark man carrying a small package. He was walking down an alleyway in a _very_ suspicious manner.

Dipper narrowed his eyes and began to follow, but Mabel stopped him once again, "Maybe we shouldn't follow."

"What do you mean, _'shouldn't follow'?"_ Dipper demanded.

"Well, we're in a new place. This isn't Gravity Falls, Dipper. We shouldn't follow creepos into dark alleyways."

"Since when was _I_ the curious one and you the _cautious_ one?"

 _"_ _Please_ Dipper," she begged, "Let's just let it slide, just for once. I… I don't think it's safe."

Dipper bit his lip and stared down the alleyway the man disappeared to. "I… I…" Mabel gave him puppy-dog eyes. "I… I… I…" he stared back into the alley, "I… j-just want to see what he's doing. At the first sign of danger, we'll leave, okay?"

Mabel stamped her foot, "Dipper!"

He hesitantly began to push his cart in the direction of the alley entrance, "I just want to s-see what he's up to. It'll be quick, I promise."

As her brother got farther and farther, Mabel felt more and more torn. Usually, she was all for solving mysteries and supporting her brother in his nerdy stuff (well, _most_ of the time). But… for some reason… it just felt more dangerous. They weren't in Gravity Falls anymore. These guys weren't zapped with that dumb memory-eraser. They could wield very powerful sticks that could apparently disarm Mabel from her grappling hook instantly (it said so in Dipper's book).

But she couldn't just let Dipper go down that alleyway alone. That'd be a dumb-dumb's move.

Mabel groaned, "I know I'm going to regret this."

She grabbed her own cart and followed her twin into the unknown.

 **"** **Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems."**

 **\- Nelly Furtado Song**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or Harry Potter**


	3. Chapter 3: Regrets

**Chapter 3: Regrets**

They followed the guy for quite some time. Luckily for them, they weren't _too_ suspicious. There were other people walking around, after all. They followed a ways back, struggling to roll their carts over the uneven pavement.

"Maybe we should have left these on the train," Dipper wheezed.

"Maybe we should have _stayed_ on the train," Mabel muttered, still feeling a bit irked over the whole thing.

Dipper ignored the elder twin and focused on getting his cart around a pothole, "Good thing he isn't running. Otherwise we'd lose him for sure."

 _"_ _We're gonna' miss our tra-ain,"_ Mabel sang. She took off her headband and started whapping his shoulder, _"We're gonna' miss our train, and then it's gonna' rain, and it won't be good for our—"_

" _Ugh!_ Give me that!" he grabbed her headband and stuffed it into his pocket. "It'll be fine. Besides, we can just hop on the next one."

"Is there a next one?"

"I don't know. There's always a 'next one' for busses and subways, so probably."

As they walked farther and farther down, the road began to get shadier. A dark-looking wizard in a huge cloak glared at them. Dipper shrunk away while Mabel waved happily. The man they were following stopped at an alleyway, looked both ways, and disappeared down it. Dipper frowned and dragged his cart over to the side of the road, "We should probably hide these somewhere. What do you think?" when there was no answer, he turned around frantically, "Mabel? Mabel!?"

"BOOM!" she sprang out of a nearby trash can, tattered blankets in hand, "One step ahead of you as always, bro-bro."

Dipper rolled his eyes in annoyance but took the blankets anyway, "Don't _do_ that."

Mabel and Dipper found a place behind some trash cans to hide their carts. As Dipper laid the blankets over, Mabel put her pig, Waddles, next to Dipper's owl, "Okay, you two. No fighting while we're gone. Waddles, you're the older one so I expect you to take care of Flappy. Be quiet while we're gone and—"

"Oh no. We are _not_ naming my owl 'Flappy'," Dipper interrupted.

"Why not?" she whined, "It's perfect!"

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is! Here, look," she set the two animals side by side, "Waddles is named Waddles because he waddles. And Flappy is named Flappy because… you know… he flaps."

"Then why not name him Flaps?"

"Because Flappy is cuter."

"Mabel—"

"Shush!" she put her fingers to her lips, "We need to hurry, remember? We have to catch a bad guy _and_ a train!"

Dipper slapped his forehead, "You're right! We'd be lucky if we didn't lose him by now. C'mon Mabel!" He hastily threw on the rest of the sheets and grabbed Mabel's arm.

"Okay you two. Just be quieeaa _ahhh!"_ Mabel's speech was but off when Dipper hastily dragged her to her feet and ran, _"Dipper!"_

"Sorry!"

They ran to the alley way they saw the guy disappear to. To their surprise, it was a dead end.

"Ah pooh," Mabel swung a fist down half-heartedly, "Those darned dead-ends. Looks like we'll have to—"

"No wait, look! There's a window open up there! He must've climbed up!" Dipper rushed over while Mabel simply sighed and followed. "How do you think he got up there?"

"I don't know," Mabel shrugged, "I mean, it'd be hard to do in a cloak, I'd think. But the view… _oh man."_

Dipper ignored his sister's comment and looked around, "There must be some sort of secret compartment… or something."

"Or maybe he flew up!"

"He couldn't have _flown up,_ Mabel."

"But he's a wizard!"

"You'll need a broom for that! Didn't you read the school books _at all?"_

"Nope!"

Dipper sighed and started to fiddle with his hat, "We could climb up by the window sills."

"Or… we could use my…"

"If you're going to say wands, I'm going to stop you right there. It's illegal for us to—"

"GRAPPLING HOOK!" Mabel she screamed as she pulled it out dramatically.

Dipper only blinked. He had forgotten all about his sister's handy tool, "You go everywhere with that, don't you?"

"Even school," she nodded.

Mabel grabbed her brother's hand and shot up, successfully latching the hook on the ledge. She pulled the trigger again and together they were pulled up. Once they climbed into the window, Mabel rewound her hook while Dipper took a look around.

"It's dark in here."

Mabel sneezed, "And dusty."

It seemed to be an old, run down… thing. They were in what looked like to be a hallway, but it was hard to tell in the dim lighting. Dipper suddenly wished he had a flashlight.

"A-are you sure we're in the right place, Dipper?" his sister whispered.

Dipper would usually tease her for the tremble in her voice, but he too felt a cold pit of fear in his stomach. There was something not right about this place. It made him uneasy.

He almost suggested going back when he heard voices down the hallway. He bit his lip and crept towards the door, motioning for his sister to follow.

Once they reached the door at the end of the hall they could hear the voices more clearly. The door was already eased open a crack (lucky for them) so all they had to do was crack it open a bit more.

"—failed me one too many times, Lucius. I try to be forgiving, but you are making it very hard to do so."

"I know, My Lord. But it's just that—"

"I grow tired of your excuses, Lucius. I've given you two tasks to complete, and you tragically failed both. And the causes of your failure was not because of Aurors, of Dumbledore, or even the Ministry, but because of mere _children…"_

"I know, My Lord. But I hardly think that—"

"Hardly think? Do you not think that it is _fair_ to give your legacy the chance to redeem _your_ _family's_ honor? You failed me twice, perhaps your son would do better."

Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances. They had a feeling they weren't supposed to be here. So what did they do? They opened the door a _little bit more_ and peeped inside. What they saw was a large, cushioned chair that obstructed most of their view. They couldn't see much of the person inside the chair, other than the pale, ghastly hand that perched on the armrest. Facing the person was very worried-looking couple (well, Mabel _assumed_ they were a couple. The way that lady kept squeezing that guy's shoulders suggested so) and the man they followed here, still clutching his package. Up close, they could see his features better. He was short, balding, sickly, and… oh yeah. He had a hand made of metal. ' _What was that all about?'_ Dipper wondered, _'Is this Star Wars or something?'_

"With all due respect—"

"What I am wondering about is why do you keep arguing with me? My patience grows thin. We have already sent the boy with his mission. We had started on the project and gave him instructions on what to do. There is nothing else to discuss."

Dipper motioned for Mabel to back away from the doorway with him. He had a feeling that the conversation was going to come to an abrupt end soon.

"My Lord," the blonde man continued to argue, "We do not ask for much. All we want is for someone to assist Draco with his duties. After all, it _is_ a very big project for such a young boy and we would not want him to fall behind on his studies. It would give pure-bloods a bad—"

As they moved back, dust started to fill the air again. Mabel sneezed.

The pale man held up his hand, "Wait."

The twins froze.

"Someone is here."

Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances as they heard footsteps from behind the door. A lot of thoughts ran through their mind during that point, but the main one was _'Run.'_

The siblings bolted just as the door swung open. "Hey! You!"

Bright lights shot by them. Dipper wasn't quite sure what they were, but he had a good idea. There was a bright flash followed by a cry of surprise beside him. The dark form of his sister stopped suddenly and fell flat on her face. "Mabel!"

Another flash and Dipper was on the floor too. After a few seconds, he felt himself be lifted by someone with a surprisingly cold hand. The younger twin felt a form being carried next to him and knew it was his sister. He wanted to check if she was alright, but for the life of him he just could not move. It was like his entire body had decided to become a rag doll. No matter how much he tried Dipper could do nothing but swing helplessly from the older man's arms.

They were dropped on what felt like a rug and he heard someone mutter something. All the sudden he could move again. The first thing he did was check on his sister, "Mabel? Mabel? Are you okay?"

Mabel groaned and rubbed her face, "Yeah… but whoever did that to us is a total poop-head."

"Such language. You should really respect your elders, little one," a dark voice chastised.

The twins raised their heads in sync and saw for the first time the pale man in the armchair (and were seriously weirded out).

Mabel grimaced. The man looked like a sickly snake. _'I mean, the slitted eyes and nose are enough to gross anyone out, but the black robes too? It's overkill. If he wanted to look evil, at least go for yellow,'_ she thought. Dipper frowned, _'Jeez. That guy looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks. His skin is practically_ clinging _to his bones. And what's up with his nose? There's like, nothing. And he's bald too. Maybe he should try to grow it out?'_ Dipper then tried to imagine the man with hair, and quickly shook the image out of his mind, _'Nope. Get those out of your head, Dipper. Out, of. Your. HEAD.'_

When neither of the twins answered, the man frowned, "My patience is already on edge, so let us skip formalities. What are you doing here? And so far from the station, too?"

Dipper glared and stood in front of his sister defensively, "Look man. We didn't mean any trouble. We were trying to find Platform 9 and ¾, you see, and—"

"While searching, you _magically_ somehow managed to wind up here?"

Mabel nodded, "Exactly! See, you get it, right?"

The man blinked. What was this child doing? Did she even know who she was talking to? "Do you realize where you are?"

"…Next to the Platform, hopefully?" Dipper asked, trying to stick with his lie.

"No," he chuckled in an almost caring manner. "You are trespassing. On the Dark Lord's grounds, no less." He pulled out a wand, "And you know what we do with trespassers?"

He raised his wand, and Dipper spread his arms protectively over his sister, prepared to take whatever was coming. Before the spell could come though, there was an interruption.

"Wait, My Lord!"

The twins and the supposed 'Dark Lord' turned and saw the woman standing there, appearing a bit flustered. Her husband sat behind her, his face as taut and emotionless as a tightrope.

"What?" he asked angrily, "What did you just say to me?"

"I s-s-said…" whatever force made her take a stand for them seemed to have disappeared. But nonetheless, she took a breath, gave the siblings a sympathetic look, and continued, "I said, w-wait. I believe they could be useful to us."

"How so?" the pale man asked angrily.

"They could… they could…" she searched around helplessly, "assist Draco with his project!" The woman winced at her own words while her husband hid his face behind his hands.

Dipper and Mabel looked back and forth between the three, trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Suddenly, the pale man laughed, "Hahahaha! That is _the_ most foolish thing I heard in over a decade!" he leaned back and wiped non-existent tears from under his eyes, "How do you know that they won't betray us? Children have very loose tongues."

It was then the blonde man who came to their aid, "We will keep one of them here. As blackmail. They look like siblings, do they not?"

"They do…" he nodded. "But it is still ridiculous."

Dipper narrowed his eyes. He had no idea what they were talking about or who this _Draco_ person is, but he didn't like it. Especially the blackmail part. "Look man. We'll just leave, okay? We swear not to say one word about… any of this."

"Yeah!" Mabel nodded, "We're uber good at keeping secrets! I once hid a boy band in our room for a day, and didn't tell anybody! Even Dipper!"

"You what?"

"As reassuring your claims sound, I am afraid we cannot trust you," the 'Dark Lord' said tiredly, "Now sit still for a moment. I don't want to hit the rug."

"No way!" Dipper yelled. He reached back and fumbled for his wand, "I'll… I'll fight you!"

"Dipper, what are you doing?" his sister hissed, "You don't know any spells!"

"Hey! I've read books!" Dipper answered defensively.

"You are not worth my time."

"Th-then… then you don't have to fight! Just let my sister go, okay? Do whatever you want to me, just leave Mabel alone!"

Mabel narrowed her eyes and turned on her brother, "No way! I'm not leaving you with snake face over there! Take me instead! My bro-bro is too much of a nerd to be captured anyway."

The pale man stared at them in slight bafflement. Snake face? Nobody had talked to him like that in a long time. "You do not know who I am?"

"I know you're going to get your butt kicked in about three seconds if you don't let us go!" Mabel shouted.

"You did not answer my question," he growled. The children had thus far been entertaining, to say the least—they were surprisingly brave (or stupid) for their age—but they were getting boring real fast.

Dipper waved his sister off, silently begging her to let him handle this, "Well… we don't _exactly_ know who you are… but, umm… well, should we?"

Before he could answer, the metal-hand guy in the corner stepped forward for the first time, "How dare you speak to the Dark Lord in such a manner! Feigning ignorance. The nerve! This is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! The Dark One! You-Know-Who! The—"

"Wormtail," the 'Dark One' held up a hand, "Do shut up."

Wormtail blushed and stepped back, "Yes, Master."

You-Know-Who turned to the children, curious to see their reactions to his titles, and was once again baffled. There was no fear. No dawning realization. No recognition. Just pure and utter confusion.

"You-Know-Who?" asked the boy, "How the heck are we supposed to know who you are if ya' can't be named?"

Lucius, seeing his master's bafflement, decided to try and shed some light on the subject, "Forgive me for intruding, Master. But I do believe they may be muggle born."

There was a beat of silence. And then laughter. Insane, maniacal laughter.

"Mudbloods?" he laughed, "Are you suggesting that… _haha_ … _Mudbloods_ wiggled their way into _my_ domain?"

Lucius shifted uncomfortably, afraid that he said something wrong. "It's just a guess, Master."

"Oh… rest assured, you said nothing wrong… _hehe…_ but in fact, this would be excellent!"

"Excellent, Master?"

"Indeed," he nodded. Ropes shot out of his wand and wrapped around the boy.

"What the—!"

"Hey! Let him go, you sicko!" the girl shouted.

"In fact," the Dark One continued, "It may solve both of our problems."

"Problems?" asked the woman.

"Yes, problems. Weren't you just saying earlier how you wanted assistance for your dear boy Draco?"

She shifted uncomfortably, "Yes…"

"Well you have it," the ropes shot up, pulling Dipper to the roof and tangling him up in the rafters, "This girl will help him."

"Hey man! Let me down!"

"What the _heck_ is going on here!?" Mabel cried, "Help who with what?"

"You will be assisting Draco in assassinating the Headmaster."

"Assassin—wait what? I don't want to _kill_ anybody!"

The boy struggled from above, "Yeah! Leave her out of this! _I'll_ kill someone! I'll kill anyone! She's only thirteen!"

"So are you, dumb-dumb!"

"Yeah, but I'm more mature!"

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

Mabel shook her head, "Doesn't matter! I'm the older twin anyway! And taller!"

"Only by—"

"SILENCE!" You-Know-Who cried, "You insolent children! I am at my wit's end, and I have no patience for your idiotic bickering! Thus far you have been entertaining, but I will not be afraid to dish out punishments. Do _not_ force my hand." The children then wisely shut up. He sighed and rubbed his temples, _"Finally._ Wormtail, bring Nagini. I need to lower my stress levels."

"Y-yes, Master."

"You, girl, what is your name?" he asked.

"M-M-Mabel, sir."

"Go stand in that corner until we finish the rest of our meeting. And do not move, unless you want to end up like your brother up there." She quickly nodded and shuffled over. His sudden outburst had startled her. She wanted to protest, but one look from her brother quickly changed her mind (even in the dim lighting, she could recognize his annoying, brotherly glare).

"So, Lucius. As we were saying before you _selfishly_ turned the topic toward your son, how are we faring with the Ministry?"

"W-well, we are faring as well as we are able, considering that—"

Mabel then stopped paying attention. She fingered her grappling hook from under her school robes. Maybe she could shoot to the roof and rescue Dipper? And then on the way down she could do a double back flip, throw a smoke bomb, punch snake-dude, knee blonde-man in the nuts and use Dipper as a human lasso… whip… thing.

Mabel grinned and nodded. Sounded like a great plan. Just before she put it in action though, she began to notice some holes in her brilliant plan. She didn't have a smoke bomb. And she didn't know how to do a double back flip.

Mabel sighed and slumped. Dipper's nerdy-ness really rubbed off on her during the summer. Too bad they couldn't do twin telepathy. That would be _really_ helpful right now. Dipper _always_ knew what to do. He had like, a super mind. Of course, Mabel was _way_ more super than him. Responsibilities of the Alpha Twin, you know? But when it came to nerdy book stuff, Dipper was your man.

 _Speaking of Dipper…_ Mabel looked up and saw him hanging in a rather awkward position. But instead of planning, like she thought he'd be doing, he was listening very closely to the conversation below. Mabel smiled. _'Heh. Even in a potentially life-death situation, Dipper_ still _pays attention in class."_

Dipper was really excited to go to school at Hog-whatever. He talked a lot about houses… whatever _those_ were. Something about being sorted by a hat? Well, all she knew was that they go to different rooms. Mabel hoped she got the same one as Dipper. They are _always_ together. What was it that snake guy said? Something about using Dipper as blackmail…? Does that mean Dipper won't be able to go to—' _OH MY GOSH IS THAT A SNAKE?'_

Wormtail came in with a black snake trailing behind him. It slithered confidently to the feet of You-Know-Who. He picked it up and rested the head on his lap. Mabel cooed affectionately in her mind.

 _'_ _Oh my gosh she's so pretty! I wonder if he named her yet? Maybe_ I _could name her?'_

"Thank you for bringing Nagini, Wormtail."

 _'_ _Aww man. He_ did _name it. Too bad. I would have named it something_ way _better, like Snakester or something.'_

Mabel began to rock on her heals and look around the room. It was quite boring to stand in the corner like that. Her feet were falling asleep. Maybe she could sit down? But then dust would get all over her school robes. She wondered if the train left already. Mabel hoped it didn't. Dipper wouldn't be very happy if they were late to the first day of school.

Mabel stifled a yawn. The snake dude was still talking. She wondered who he was.

 _'_ _Maybe he's some sort of wizard gang leader or something? But he seems a bit to high-status for that. Could be a weird-o cult thingy,'_ she thought. Wouldn't be the first time they stumbled into a cult, after all.

' _Speaking of wondering who people are, who is this Malfoy person? And what am I supposed to do again? Kill someone, right?'_

Mabel never killed before. Punched, kicked, blew up, set fire to, caused wrecks, and grappling hooked, but killing? No way. The closest thing _she_ ever did was explode a few zombies' heads with bad karaoke music. Oh. And destroy Mabel-Land and its inhabitants. But that doesn't really count.

Another yawn. _'Man. This is boring. I wonder how Waddles and Flappy are doing? Hopefully Waddle's didn't get distracted and wander off. I put him on a leash, of course. But you can never know for sure.'_

It then occurred to Mabel that everyone was staring at her. Dipper, snake-dude, the couple, Wormtail, and even Snakester. She looked around in confusion, "What?"

Snake-Dude rolled his eyes and muttered, _"Flipendo."_

And that was the first curse either of the twins had contact with.

Mabel felt herself fly backward into the wall, her shoulder making direct contact with the inward corner.

 _"_ _MABEL!"_ came the expected cry of her brother.

She blearily rubbed her shoulder and looked up, only to see Snake-Dude towering above her, "Perhaps you will pay attention next time, hm?" when Mabel didn't answer his eyes hardened, "Get up."

Mabel hastily pulled herself to her feet and brushed her robes off. _'Great. Now they're dusty,'_ was her only thought.

Snake-Dude pulled her back to the middle of the rug and sat down in his chair. He waved his wand and Dipper was lowered down (though he was still tied up). The twins went to check on each other immediately, an action the Dark One observed with satisfaction. "We have decided to let you two live… for now."

Mabel nodded, "Living is good."

"Don't act so eager. There will have to be payment."

"What sort of payment?" Dipper asked suspiciously.

"You will assist us in our plans. Dumbledore would never think that we would allow filthy Mudbloods into our group."

Mabel shook her head in annoyance, "What exactly are we supposed to do again?"

 _"_ _You_ will assist Draco in the assassination of Dumbledore and the rebuilding of the Vanishing Cabinet."

"But we don't know magic."

"That is not my concern," he answered stiffly.

Dipper tried to fold his arms, but forgot that his hands were tied behind his back. He settled for a glare instead, "What if we don't want to help you?"

"Then you will die." He said this part as if it were obvious.

 _"_ _Ooorrrr….."_ Mabel started, "We can just leave and never come back! We'll swear not to tell anybody about anything! Me and Dip-Dop will keep our lips sealed!"

"No, no," the Dark One shook his head, "I like my idea better. And you can easily betray your promise."

"And how the heck do you know that we won't betray you at school!?" Dipper asked exasperatedly.

"And that's where you come in."

"Oh no."

Snake-Face grinned, "Oh yes. You see, from the past ten to fifteen minutes of our meeting, I could tell that your bond as siblings is close. So close in fact, that you would repeatedly try to sacrifice yourself for the well-being of your counterpart. I intend to use that bond to its full potential."

A cold pit started to form in Dipper's stomach as he began to piece it all together. Mabel however, was not as fast to catching on, "And how are you supposed to do that?"

"Keep the boy here as blackmail."

"WHAT?" Mabel cried, "I mean, I guess retrospect it should've been obvious, but still WHAT? Dipper had been excited to go to that school ever since we got that letter!"

"You're worried about my _schooling_ of all things?" Dipper yelled.

She ran her hands through her hair, "I don't know how to react, alright?"

"Shaking in fear will be suffice," the Dark One said smugly, finally able to get the appropriate reaction from the two twins.

"There's no way we'll help you kill someone!" the younger boy cried, "That's messed up, man!"

"And gross!" Mabel agreed.

"Killing is not the _only_ thing you will be doing," the Dark One sighed, "You will help rebuild the Vanishing Cabinet and, if possible, befriend Harry Potter."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mabel couldn't help but let out a giggle, "Pfft. _Hairy."_ The Dark Lord scowled in her direction and she promptly shut up (too much of Dipper's surprise. Usually that doesn't work).

"Harry has been a thorn in my side since his birth," Snake Dude continued, "I want you to spy on him."

"This is crazy!" Dipper shouted, "There's no way she's doing any of that!"

"Yeah! I'm not going to _spy_ on someone after we become friends! That's mean!"

"I'm sure we can find a compromise." With a wave of his wand, the ropes around Dipper started to snake around him (pun totally intended).

"What the—" He was cut short when the ropes tightened around his neck. His feet left the ground and soon he was being strangled mid-air.

"DIPPER!" Mabel cried for what felt like the fifth time that day.

"Are you ready to compromise, my pet?"

Mabel visibly shivered at the nickname. She felt frozen. "I... Um…"

She saw her brother waving his head wildly, trying to signal her a 'no'. And part of her wanted to agree with him. She _really_ didn't want to _kill_ anyone.

But she also didn't want her brother to get hurt.

"I'm waiting for an answer."

 _'_ _This is for Dipper.'_

Mabel's eyes hardened as she uttered her next words, "What do I need to do?"

 **"** **Who would sacrifice everything for their dumb sibling?"**

 **\- Bill Cipher**

 **I was super nervous posting this chapter. It's slightly bolder than the other two, thus open to more criticism. Don't worry though. I enjoy constructive criticism. But I also enjoy positive feedback, so...**

 **And yes. I am aware of an inconsistency in this chapter. It was a minor mistake on my part, but frankly I'm too lazy to change it. I like this chapter the way it is and don't want to change such a huge amount of dialogue. Don't worry though. After chapter four, all inconsistencies and plot holes will cease. I am much more careful about keeping in line with the Harry Potter universe after chapter four. (I won't tell you about the inconsistency though. If you didn't catch it why should I tell you about my mistake?)**

 **And if you're confused about why Voldemort is even entertaining the idea of allowing two 'filthy Mudbloods' in his ranks, I plan to incorporate his explanation in Chapter Four or Five.**

 **Anyway, favs and follows are great but reviews are greater. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Expect another update next Wednesday! Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4: Marked

**Happy late Fourth of July everyone! Celebrating America and Freedom and stuff. Now let's continue our story about two children being oppressed in Britain. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Marked**

If her brother wasn't being strangled, she was certain that he'd be screaming at her for being such a dumb-dumb. And she wouldn't blame him. After all, this _was_ a dumb-dumb's move. But what was she supposed to do? Let Dipper die? Yeah right. That's even grosser than killing a random person. Besides, that Draco guy will be with her. He'll help out, right?

The ropes loosened and the Dark Lord smiled, "Excellent. I'm so glad we could reach an agreement, aren't you?"

Mabel didn't answer. She was too busy trying to mentally check on her brother.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes and flicked his wand again. There was a sharp pain that came from Mabel's ears and she couldn't help but yelp in surprise. She brought a hand up and to her shock felt split flesh around the tips of her ear. It wasn't very big, but it was big enough to draw blood. The feeling of loose flesh was replaced by warm stickiness. When she brought her hand down red was smeared along the tips of her fingers. She could tell without even looking the cut wasn't more like a nip, but if still hurt.

"You should learn to pay attention."

Dipper wanted to say something in his sister's defense. He really did. But something was not allowing him to. _'It must be some sort of charm or something.'_

The 'Dark Lord' guy was explaining the plan to his sister. Apparently the Vanishing Cabinet was some sort of teleporter device, and they needed it to get inside the school of Hogwarts. He was being a bit vague with his plans, and Dipper guessed it was because he didn't want her to know any more than possible. Dipper hoped that his sister was paying attent— _Wait! Is she paying attention?_

There was a distant look on his sister's face, and Dipper inwardly groaned. She was doing that daydreaming thing again. _'How could she do that in a time like this!?'_ Dipper shouted internally, _'Doesn't she know the weight of the situation? Why can't she—wait. Wait. Alright, she's paying attention now.'_

Mabel snapped herself out of her own stupor. How could she be so stupid, distracting herself like that? She _should_ be paying attention!

Of course, it wasn't like she _tried_ to distract herself. It was just that there was a lot of distracting things around her. And most of them involved Dipper. She was worried about him staying with this weirdo person alone. They've hardly been there for fifteen minutes, and already she's been thrown against the wall, Dipper was _strangled,_ and her ears got cut. It was hard to imagine being with this guy for… actually, how long was Dipper going to be held for ransom?

 _'_ _Probably until you finish your tasks,'_ she thought.

Which reminded her once again to pay attention.

"—leave most of it to Draco. You are only there to assist, is that clear?"

Mabel nodded quickly, learning the hard way what happens when she gave delayed answers, "Yes! Yes! Totally! Clear as crystals!"

The Dark One rolled his eyes, "But as for befriending Harry Potter, that task is completely up to you."

Mabel nodded. _This_ part sounded important.

"Draco is already on bad terms with him. It would be suspicious for him to suddenly be friendly toward a Gryffindor. Once you have fully gained Harry Potter's trust, I want you to keep tabs in him for me. Tell me if he does anything suspicious."

Mabel blinked, "So like, I'll call you or something?"

The Dark One rubbed his face. _Muggles._ "No, no. Draco will explain to you. Now that you have been fully informed, there is one last thing for you to do."

There was a pause. He seemed to be waiting for her to ask what the last thing is. "…what's the last th—"

"So glad you asked! You need to become a Death Eater. Now, give me your arm."

"But… my Lord," the blond guy spoke up again, "Only the highest of your rank receives such an honor. She has hardly been here for forty minutes."

Voldemort very well knew this, but he sensed a rebellious spirit in the two twins. Branding the girl put her in a position of no return. He wanted her properly in line before sending her off. _'Besides, it'll be fun to see her squirm.'_

"Do not question my methods, Lucius. Not give me your arm, pet. We shall do your brother soon after."

Mabel hesitantly looked up to Dipper for guidance. He had been surprisingly quiet throughout all of this. Dipper only shrugged and motioned for her to continue.

She gave him her arm and he rolled up her robes, only to find a brightly colored sweater beneath them. Surprised, the Dark Lord looked to her for explanation. Mabel blushed and shrugged sheepishly. Voldemort sighed and rolled up the sweater, glad to see bare arm this time. He held his wand tip to her skin and asked, "What is your name, child?"

"Mabel."

"Your full name."

"Mabel Pines."

"Do you, Mabel Pines, agree to follow the Dark Lord, and help him complete his work of creating the new world? No matter the personal price you must pay?"

Mabel shrugged, "I guess? I mean, it's not like I get another choice here."

"It's a yes or no question."

"Alrighty. Sure. I'll say yes."

The Dark Lord wanted to punish her for such arrogance. Every little thing she did tested his limits more and more. The sweater. Her reluctance. And now her answers. He pinched the bridge of his noseless nose and let out a shaky breath, "And do you, Mabel Pines, agree to become a dedicated and useful follower to the Dark Lord? And remain loyal, refusing opportunities of betrayal should they arise?"

"Sure."

"And finally, are you, Mabel Pines, willing to take on the sacrifices that come with being a Death Eater?"

"As long as that sacrifice isn't Dipper. Or Waddles."

He squeezed her arm in barely contained anger, "Say yes."

She winced, "Okay then, 'yes.'"

"Then it is done."

He dragged his wand along her flesh, and dark swirls emitted from it. His wand seemed to carve right though her skin as the infamous Dark Mark started to take shape. Mabel cried in pain and tried to pull her arm away. She was not prepared for the burning pain that followed. Heck, she wasn't prepared for _any_ burning sensation.

He pulled back, "Stop jerking!"

Mabel clenched her teeth and squirmed, resisting the urge to cry. The pain was, well… _painful,_ but that didn't make it unbearable. It was just really, uncomfortably hot.

"And… finished." Mabel wiped her eyes and clutched her arm to her chest, trying to relieve the throbbing. She looked down and her jaw dropped.

Right smack-dab center of her arm, was a black skull with a snake wrapped around it. An irritated red ringed the edges and the skin was warm to the touch. Not only was the mark creepy, painful, and downright _Goth,_ it was embarrassing. Mabel was embarrassed to have let this happened to her. Thoughts buzzed around her head like angry hornets.

 _'_ _What will Candy and Grenda say? Oh my gosh, what about Grunkles Stan and Ford!? They'll be totally over-concerned. I don't want to worry them… wait. Oh sparkles. Mom and Dad… they'll kill us! We're not allowed to have tattoos yet!'_

Mabel quickly pulled her robes over the snake-skull thing, feeling ashamed (though she wasn't quite sure why).

"You will not show this to anyone but Draco," the Dark Lord ordered, "Draco will show you how to use it if he deems it useful."

She nodded quickly. Mabel already decided not to show anyone. She hadn't really realized the gravity of their situation until now. But now that she was… _marked_ by this wierdo guy, it felt like she was… _linked._ Mabel almost giggled at her own thoughts. She was starting to sound like Dipper, overstressing things _way_ too much.

The Dark Lord frowned at the smile shadowing the girl's lips. He needed to make sure she realized how strongly she was bound to him. He leaned back and sighed, "We will do your brother in a bit."

Mabel's head shot up, "Wait, WHAT!? You can't do Dipper! That thing hurt! And it looks gross!"

"It is necessary."

"Psh. Yeah right. You're only saying that to make me stop arguing. Dip- Dop, back me up!" Mabel placed her hands on her hips and waited for her brother to work his negotiating magic. When no magic came, she looked up in confusion. "Dip-Dop?" Dipper hung from the rooftops (but that was to be expected). What wasn't expected was him opening and closing his mouth, but with no words coming out of it. Mabel frowned and turned to the pale man, "Why is my bro-bro not talking?"

"I did not want him to intervene while you alleged yourself."

"So you turned off his talking!?"

"In a way, yes."

She crossed her arms and glared, "…well?"

He raised his eyebrows innocently. "Well what?"

"You know well what! Turn it back on!"

"His voice?"

"Yes, you doy! His voice!"

Before the Dark Lord could answer, Wormtail stepped in once again, "Do not insult the Dark Lord like that!"

Voldemort sighed and glared at his servant. He was _just_ beginning to have fun, "Wormtail, do not interrupt."

Wormtail stood sputtering there, grasping for words, before finally stepping back. _"Yes, Master,"_ he muttered spitefully. He looked over to the Malfoys, and it was very clear on their faces that they were glad they had remained silent thus far.

The Dark One slowly lowered Dipper from the rafters. About halfway, he flicked his wrist twice and all spells disappeared, meaning that he could speak again.

Also meaning that the ropes disappeared.

"Aaauuuggghh!" he straightened his legs and tried to land safely, but as soon as he hit the ground his legs gave out and he lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. Dipper rubbed his head and moaned, "Not cool, man. Not cool."

Mabel helped her brother up and dusted him off, "Great. Now we _both_ have dust in our robes. Mom's gonna' kill us," she muttered half-jokingly.

Dipper resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew Mabel was just trying to be as positive as possible simply by advoiding the greater evil in the room. It was one of the amazing qualities of his sister, being positive—a trait Dipper could never really master. Even though it was small, he appreciated her attempts of putting a lighter spin on things.

"Give me your arm, boy."

Dipper bit his lip and looked at his sister for reassurance. She pushed him forward and whispered, _"Don't worry. It only hurts a little bit."_

Dipper nodded and stepped forward, all the while rolling up his own sleeve. He straightened up and thrust his arm forward, a grim yet determined look on his face.

"What's your name?"

"Dipper Pines."

"Dipper? What kind of name is Dipper?"

Before she could stop herself, Mabel automatically answered, "It's his nickname." She instantly realized her mistake though and covered her mouth. Dipper grimaced, but otherwise his face remained stoic.

"What is your real name?"

His shoulders slumped in defeat, "Mason."

Voldemort raised his eyebrow in amusement, and started to recite the oath, "Do you, Mason Pines, agree to follow the Dark Lord, and help him complete his work of creating the new world? No matter the personal price you must pay?"

Dipper narrowed his eyes, but nodded, "Yeah."

"And do you, Mason Pines, agree to become a dedicated and useful follower to the Dark Lord? And remain loyal, refusing opportunities of betrayal should they arise?"

"Sure man."

"And finally, are you, Mason Pines, willing to take on the sacrifices that come with being a Death Eater?"

"Depends on the sacrifice."

"Just say yes."

Dipper sighed, "Sure, whatever."

"Then it is done."

He drew the Dark Mark into the young boy's arm. Dipper stared ahead and clenched his teeth, determined not to show pain. Once it was finished, the Dark Lord looked up to see a smug look on the boy's face, pleased with himself for not showing weakness. Instead of getting angry, like the Dark One thought he would, he found himself amused. These two were definitely defiant, both in their own separate ways. And as he said earlier, it will be fun to watch them squirm.

He released him and motioned for him to stand by his sister. As Dipper walked back, he looked down at his new accessary and grimaced. The Mark stood out very clearly from his pale skin, and he too felt a sense of shame. After all, it was his fault. Mabel told him that they shouldn't follow that guy, but what did he do? Follow the guy. Now his curiosity landed them both in really deep doo-doo.

Dipper blushed angrily and rolled his sleeve back down. The cool fabric touching the still-warm skin made it sting, but he made sure not to wince. For Mabel's sake, and his own.

Once he was by his sister's side the Dark Lord started with his instructions, "You boy, will have a much different purpose. You are mainly to stay with me and make sure that your sister stays in line. But who am to deprive you of an education? I will take it upon yourself to instruct you in the ways of magic, and help you become a true Death Eater."

"Uh, yeah. As cool as that sounds man, can't I just like, not?"

"If you don't, we will not hesitate to reveal your sister as a traitor the entire wizarding world."

"Boo!" Mabel crowed.

Dipper bit his lip, "How long do we have to keep this up?"

"Until your sister completes her task."

Dipper hid his face behind his hands as he processed the information. "We are so doomed."

"Wait!" Mabel cried, "I just thought of something! Wouldn't it be way weird if I showed up to Pigwarts—"

"Hogwarts," Dipper corrected.

"—without Dipper? I mean, seems a bit suspicious. And since we have to explanation… guess we'll have to call the whole thing off, right?"

Voldemort blinked slowly and sat in silence for a few seconds, "…that is a problem."

"Welp, see ya' later. Thanks for everything!" Mabel grabbed her brother's hand and they started to head out the door. Lucius quickly stepped in front of them with his wand raised, and the twins slowly backed up. "…Or not."

The Dark One massaged his pale chin, a thoughtful look on his face, "…kidnapping. You will say your brother was kidnapped."

Dipper bit his lip, wracking his brain for any way to prolong the conversation, "But then she'll have to make up an entire story."

"Obliviate," the blond lady suggested, "The kidnapper would have obliviated her."

You-Know-Who nodded with a smile. He was quite pleased with how the plan was turning out. "Yes. Just say the only thing you can remember is a bright flash. They will do the rest."

Mabel leaned toward her brother and whispered, _"What's obliviation?"_

 _"_ _Magical memory erasing."_

Mabel winced. All experiences with memory erasing were not very happy. They nearly lost their Grunkle last time. "You won't actually erase my mind, will you?"

"No. All you need to say is that there was a bright flash."

She grinned and wiped her forehead in relief, _"Whoo._ That's a relief. I thought you were actually going to erase my mind."

"It would be inconvenient for this instance," he answered curtly, "Now, we will send you on your way. Meet up with Draco, show him your mark, and befriend Harry Potter. Fail to do this, and there will be consequences."

"Wait, I'm going right now?" Mabel gripped her brother, "Will I be able to talk to Dipper? What will I say to Mom and Dad?"

Voldemort ascended from his chair with an old boot in his hand, "Do not fail."

Dipper stepped in front of his sister protectively, "Hey, back off man." The Dark Lord simply grabbed the boy and ripped him from his sister's grip. He let out a gasp of pain, and Mabel groped for him. "Dipper!"

Voldemort thrust the boot into Mabel's arms and her world was consumed with black.

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, a name was read.

"Pines, Mabel."

When no one came forth from the gaggle of first years, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and tried again, "Pines, Mabel."

Once again, no one stepped forth. The body of students murmured uneasily.

"Mabel Pines? Does anyone know where Mabel Pines is?"

The students turned to each other, asking if they knew a Mabel Pines. "What about Dipper? Is there a Dipper Pines?" McGonagall tried. She remembered how much the boy hated his real name, Mason, and concluded that using the nickname would draw the boy out from the crowd better.

But just as his counterpart, Dipper Pines did not come forth. McGonagall examined the faces of the first years, searching for the bright-eyed girl and the perceptive boy she had met only a few days ago. A feeling of frustration and worry settled in her chest.

"Does anyone know where the Pines Twins are?"

 **"** **Gone. The saddest word in the language. In any language."**

 **-Mark Slouka**


	5. Chapter 5: Lying

**Hey guys. You're lucky you're getting a chapter at all. I'm going on a Mormon Trek thing tomorrow that lasts four days! I haven't had much time to write and I'm a bit behind schedule. I considered not updating until Monday, but then I decided not to. You lucky ducks. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter. Tell me what you think in the comments!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Lying**

Wormtail approached his master feebly. The meeting had dispersed and the Malfoys had apparated away. The boy—Dipper Pines—lay on the floor, unconscious. After his sister had disappeared, he was nonstop questions and demands. You-Know-Who grew tired of this and knocked him out with a simple spell. Now that they were completely alone, Pettigrew saw it as a perfect time to ask him some burning questions. It was so unlike the Dark One to let two Mudbloods walk away free, and he wanted to know why. "Forgive me, Master," he started, making sure to appear as meek as possible, "But if I may be so bold as to ask—"

"Skip the blandishments Wormtail. I've got no time for them."

Peter licked his lips and tried to backtrack, "Sorry. But I can't help but wonder, why did you let the girl help Draco with his duties? Surely, you know she will make him fail."

Voldemort smiled, showing off his ugly yellow teeth. His stroking turned into excited finger-drumming, making Nagini shift uncomfortably. "Do you know why I assigned Draco the task in the first place? To punish his failure of a father. As we speak, the Ministry is tracking Lucius down. They will have him arrested by morning. But do you think that is enough? Do you believe Azkaban alone will make up for his mistakes?"

Peter straightened. "No! Of course not! He risked everything."

Voldemort nodded, "And that is where the Mudblood filth comes in. She most certainly won't make things easier for Draco, heightening his chance at failure and the internal torture of his father." A low, ugly laughter emitted from his lips. He somehow found his own plan funny. Pettigrew carefully joined the laughter as well, but it quickly died down. He wasn't done asking questions.

Once the Dark Lord finished laughing, Peter asked the next question with extreme caution. "And if he were to succeed, Master?"

Voldemort thought about this for a moment, but then shrugged apathetically. "It does not matter. It will still work in our favor, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, yes. Of course," he said quickly. His thoughts then turned to the child on the floor. "And… the boy? What purpose does he serve?"

A thin, weedy smile grew over Voldemort's lips. He stood up, forcing Nagini to slide off of his lap and onto the floor. He walked toward the child and towered over him, making sure to step on his fingers. He rocked on his heels for a few moments, relinquishing the uncomfortable feeling of bones bearing down on wood under his foot. "The Malfoys had recently lost their house elf, didn't they?" he asked, though it wasn't a question. He rubbed his hands together, "I am sure this one will suffice."

* * *

Mabel awoke in an alleyway with a groan. The elder twin rubbed her head and sat up. She looked around in confusion, and spotted the old boot resting no more than a few feet away from her. Mabel recoiled at the sight, remembering the stomach-lurching sensation it gave her when she teleported.

 _Teleported? Teleported where?_

She looked around and saw that it wasn't just any alleyway, but _the_ alleyway. The same alleyway she and Dipper followed that guy in—

Mabel lurched to her feet, _'Dipper!'_

"Dipper! Dipper!" she called frantically, "Are you there?" When there was no answer, she felt herself begin to panic. She pressed her palms to her temples and moaned, "C'mon, Mabel. Remember! You know it's in there somewhere!"

 _'_ _Alright. So me and Dipper followed the guy into the alleyway. Then we grappling-hooked up the window and saw this snake dude with an actual snake and he took Dipper and told me—'_

And then it all came crashing down at once. The mark. Her tasks. The blackmailing. Dipper…

Hot tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she looked up to the window they had used to get into earlier, only to find it closed and empty. Her breath quickened. _'How long was I out?'_ The elder twin ran out of the alleyway and turned her head upward, hoping to find clues of the time in the sky. But to her disappointment, there were grey storm clouds covering the sun.

The young girl ran her fingers through her hair as panic overtook her mind. Her only thought was finding the train and get to Hogwarts. She flew down the street toward the direction she believed lead to the station, only to stop halfway and realize she needed to get Waddles.

Thunder boomed overhead, and Mabel started to notice things. The dark buildings looming overhead. The unfamiliar road she was on. The strange, intimidating people milling about. Mabel gulped, "Waddles!" she cried, "Waddles!"

There was no answer. She turned down a road she thought she took before, only to discover it was wrong. Mabel backtracked, and found the previous street seemed just as different as the old one. "Oh no. Oh no. Nonononono." Mabel backed up against a wall, searching for anything that struck her familiar. "I c-can't be lost!"

Raindrops started to fall. The dark people spotting the street seemed to be closing in on her. Her vision became blurry with tears. The fear and confusion finally consumed the usually carefree girl, preventing any rational thought from entering her mind. Mabel covered her ears with her hands and shut her eyes. _'I failed. I'm lost. I missed the train. Dipper's going to die. Dipper's going to die because of me. I failed.'_

The rain started to fall harder now and a dark shadow passed over her. Mabel only curled into herself, awaiting to be taken away by this strange person. But instead of grabbing her, the shadow spoke.

"Cedar, core of unicorn hair, eleven and a three-quarter inches. Surprisingly swishy. Mabel Pines, is that you?"

Mabel looked up, and there stood the man from the shop. The one who sold her the wand: Mr. Ollivander.

* * *

Mabel sat in an office with a cup of butter beer and a blanket around her shoulders. Waddles was sitting on the chair next to her, while Flappy stared blankly from his cage across the room. She had refused to leave the streets without finding them first. She didn't want them to freeze to death.

Mabel stared blankly into her cup and swirled it half-heartedly. The butter beer was good, but she wished it was hot chocolate. The kind Mom makes after they played in the snow too long. Or Mabel-Juice. Mabel-Juice was always cheered her up.

There was another shout from the other room, and Mabel shrunk away. The grown-ups were arguing. Ever since they teleported Mom and Dad here there had been a lot of shouting. Mostly from the two parents. She barely spoke to them since they got here. She hardly spoke to anyone. It didn't feel good to lie, not about something like this.

All of the sudden, the door burst open, "Pumpkin!"

"Mabel!"

Her head shot up so fast she was surprised she didn't get whiplash, "Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!" She ran forward and wrapped her arms around her two Great-Uncles, "I thought you guys were on your way to Antarctica! How did you get here?"

Stan scooped Mabel up, "Those wizards appeared on our deck and nearly scared us half ta' death. Before we harpooned their sorry butts for invading our ship, they told us Dipper was missing!"

"Naturally, we came as soon as possible," Ford finished, "Their traveling techniques are incredible. I'll have to look into it…" Stan sent him a glare, "On, um, a later date. Mabel, what happened?"

She shrunk from her Grunkle's stares, "Didn't they already tell you? I c-can't… I can't remember."

"That isn't enough."

Stan placed her on the ground and crouched down to her eye-level, "Mabel, sweetie. If there is anything, _anything_ at all…. like somethin' ya couldn't tell the wizards, or your parents, _you need to let us know."_

"Was it Gravity Falls related?" Ford asked urgently, "Perhaps an old enemy?"

Mabel played her damp hair, trying to hide the guilt that was surely showing, "I d-don't remember."

"Well then, let's get ya' rememberin' then!" Stan exclaimed, "C'mon Ford, where's that weird medicine you give me? Mabel, find your scrapbook."

"Grunkle Stan—"

"Don't worry kiddo," Stanley grinned, tapping his head, "If you can get this old geezer to remember, I sure as heck can help you."

"Grunkle Stan…"

"Of course, it might be a bit fuzzy at first… and a bit splotchy. But you're still young, and it was only a few minutes, right? I mean, that's nothin' compared to an entire lifetime—"

"GRUNKLE STAN!" Mabel yelled in exasperation, "It's not like that, _okay?"_

The two Grunkles stared at their great niece in shocked silence. They were not expecting an outburst like that. Especially from _Mabel,_ of all people.

Ford cleared his throat, "What do you mean, 'not like that?'"

Mabel rubbed her temples. She was tired, emotionally _and_ physically. "It's just not, okay? It's s-some sort of magic th-thing, alright? Not the… not the memory eraser."

"Well, that don't matter," Stan grunted, "It's th' same thing, basically. Don't hurt to try."

Mabel wrapped her arms around herself and sunk to the floor. It felt absolutely terrible, lying to her family like this and getting them all worked up. All of this commotion was her fault. _"It's not like that."_

Stan stared at this niece for a few moments before he threw his hands in the air, "I knew it. I knew it! All of this voo-doo witchery crap was nothin' but trouble. What could they teach that we couldn't? Nothing, that's what!"

Ford eyed his niece, whose state only seemed to worsen as Stan ranted on, "Stanley, I really think we should calm down…"

Stan turned on his twin, "No way, Poindexter. I was the one who said they shouldn't go. Gravity Falls is one thing, but magic is another! I thought it was a bad idea from th' start, and guess what? Dipper goes missing on the first day!"

At the mention of Dipper's name, Mabel broke down in silent tears. _What if he's getting hurt because I couldn't get there in time?_

Ford knelt down and drew Mabel into a hug, all the while glaring pointedly at Stan. Stan felt guilty about making Mabel cry, but it wasn't long before that guilt turned to anger, "Alright, that's it. No more hocus-pocus stuff! We're dropping Mabel outta' school."

 _That_ got Mabel's attention. _"WHAT?"_

"I think Stanley is right, Mabel," Ford said, "Until we know what happened to Dipper, it is simply too dangerous for you to continue in the world we know nothing about."

"B-but… but… that's not fair!"

"I'm gonna' talk to your parents 'bout this," Stan marched toward the doorway, "'Safest school' my foot. Can't even get on the freaking bus without runnin' into some crazy kidnapper."

"Train," Stanford corrected.

"Same thing!"

"No Grunkle Stan!" Mabel rushed in front of him, "I _need_ to go to Hogwarts!"

Stanford shook his head and calmly stood by his brother, trying his best to be the level head in the stressful situation, "I agree with Stanley. Until we find out who did this, it's not _safe_ for you to be roaming around. He—or she—could come back."

"B-but… but…" Mabel pulled at her hair, trying to find a good excuse, "But Hogwarts is safe! Dipper said so!"

"And look what happened!" Stan yelled.

"I need to go!"

"Why?"

"Because!" she screamed. Her Grunkles took a step back in surprise; this was very out of character for Mabel. Mabel covered her mouth. She had not meant to be that loud. She shook her head and tried to regain her posture, "I just need to, okay? Why are you being so weird about it?"

Stanford looked at his niece oddly, the familiar feeling of suspicion beginning to ebb the edges of his mind. "Mabel," he said slowly, "Do you… know something we don't?"

She looked up in surprise. She wasn't expecting this question. Mabel's hand crept to her forearm, a guilty expression on her face. "I… umm…"

The door swung open, and out marched two very distressed and angry Pines parents, "You told us they'd be safe!"

The wizard trotted behind them, trying his best to keep the situation in his control. He was failing miserably. "Mr. and Mrs. Pines! Please, wait!"

Mrs. Pines began to gather Mabel's luggage, "We send our children to a different country for some magical boarding school. I said we should raise them normally. Did anyone listen to me? No!"

Mr. Pines walked agitatedly around the room, but fell short when he saw the twin Grunkles. "Why are there two of you…?" his voice trailed off, but then he shook his head, "Forget it. I had enough of this magical nonsense for a lifetime." He took Mabel's hand and tried to lead her toward the door, "We appreciate your services, but until I know what happened to my son I want no part of it!"

"Mr. Pines!" the frantic wizard pleaded, "I can assure you your son will be found, but these things take time. The safest thing for you to do is send your daughter to school, where we can keep watch on her!"

Mabel wiggled out of her father's grip, "I want to stay, Dad!"

"Great. Not you too!" Mr. Pines turned to the two Stans, "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you Un-Uncle… Uncle… Uncles? Ugh! Which one of you is my Uncle Stanford?"

Both of the Uncles stepped forward, _"I am."_

Mr. Pines pulled at his hair, "I swear, if this is some magic trick, I will _not_ be very happy!"

Mabel looked at her dad, torn between amusement and sympathy. They decided to keep Grunkle Stan's twin a secret from the two parents. It wasn't very easy to explain how someone who had been proclaimed dead for thirty years suddenly returned. Unless you were truthful about it, of course. But there was no way they were going to do _that._

"Mr. Pines!" interrupted the wizard, "I realize that this situation must be confusing for two Muggles such as yourselves, but we know more about this than you do. This is not up for negotiation!"

"Muggles such as ourselves?" Stanford repeated quietly, but angrily.

Before either of the parents could answer, Stanley Pines stepped in front of the wizard and jabbed a finger at him, "Listen punk. I might not be smart, but _I_ know what's best for my niece. She's goin' through a buncha' emotional crud right now, and she needs her family, not some boarding school!"

The single wizard looked between the Pines, and realized he was losing the fight, four to one. "Please, Mr. Pines. I understand what this girl is going through. The teachers there could help—"

Fire blazed in the old Uncle's eyes, _"Don't you dare pretend to know what it's like to lose your twin!"_

"Stanley!" Ford grabbed his brother's shoulders and yanked him away, "I think you've had enough."

"Lemme' go Sixer! _He's_ the one gettin' all high and mighty! Not me!"

Mabel's mother sighed and covered her face, "I am so confused right now…"

"This is not up for negotiation!" repeated the wizard.

"She's our daughter!" shouted Mr. Pines.

Mabel looked back and forth between the shouting grownups, who had now begun to get physical. Dad and the wizard were pushing, Grunkle Stan was struggling against Great Uncle Ford, and her Mom looked like she just wanted to disappear. All of it was _her fault._

Mabel backed up to the wall and grasped at her sweater, preparing to pull it over her head and disappear into Sweater Town. Escape from all of the reality.

But then a memory surfaced, and the dark voice of the snake-dude penetrated her mind. _"Do not fail."_

She sat still for a moment, and then got up. Every instinct in her body told her to curl up in a ball and hide, but she ignored it. She had a job.

She strode over to the desk on the other side of the room, trying her best to ignore the screaming grown-ups. She climbed from the chair to the table-top, and stood up. Mabel cleared her throat, "Excuse me."

The shouting continued. Mr. Pines looked like he was on the verge of hitting someone. The wizard had drawn his wand.

"E-excuse me?"

Stan wiggled free from Ford and turned on his brother, screaming profanities and asking why he was on _their_ side. Mrs. Pines rushed to her husband's side and tried to stop the impending fight.

"EXCUSE ME!"

All four grownups froze and looked up at the small girl, now towering above everyone from the safety of the table-top. A small, relieved smile escaped from Mabel's lips, happy that she had finally gotten the situation under control. But the smile didn't last long. "I want to go to Hogwarts! _"_

The wizard grinned and walked over by the table, "See? The girl gets it! She is going to Hogwarts!"

Mrs. Pines raised a finger at her young daughter, "Mabel sweetie, I want you to get down from there right now. This is not a game."

"Yeah," nodded Mr. Pines, "We're taking our daughter home… before something happens to _her!"_

Stanford Pines stared at Mabel with the same suspicion that had risen earlier. Something about Mabel's persistence seemed… _off._ Stanley frowned and strode over to his niece, leaning over the table in order to get close enough for a quiet whisper. _"Kid, what are you doin'?"_

Mabel leaned in close too, her eyes full of emotion, _"Grunkle Stan,"_ she started, _"This summer, I trusted you on something important. Now I'm asking you to return the favor."_

Stan's face showed an unnatural mix of understanding and confusion. He bit his lip and stood back, "Alright pumpkin. I trust you." He ruffled her hair affectionately and walked back to his brother, curiosity far from satisfied, yet decided to run on blind faith for now. "The kid's going."

"And what makes you think you have authority over this decision?" Mr. Pines demanded.

"I dealt with those gremlins all summer, and they ain't very easy to look after let me tell you. I know Mabel better than most, and I know she needs ta' go."

"We're her parents," Mrs. Pines challenged.

"And that's your daughter," Stan growled, "deciding for herself. She needs to go."

"It's three on two," Mabel announced.

Mr. Pines frowned, "The wizard doesn't count. This is a family matter."

"Hey!" the wizard protested, actually looking offended. The Pines ignored him.

"Fine," Stan crossed his arms, "Two on two. Poindexter's vote will decide."

Stanford looked between his niece, his brother, and parents, clearly torn. He wanted what was best for his niece and nephew; he truly did. Dipper wasn't just some distant relative to him, he was a close and trusted friend. Despite the obvious age difference Stanford and Dipper, they had bonded quite closely over the summer. If he found out Dipper had been hurt, he would personally shoot 6,000 volts through the body of whoever did it.

Mabel was a different story. Though Ford didn't feel quite as comfortable around Mabel as he did around Dipper, that didn't mean he didn't care about her. He admired her for her weirdness and her outgoing personality. She was a sweet, caring girl who spent much time with Ford after the whole apprentice thing was sorted out, helping him with his nightmares and distracting him from his fears (also the sweaters she knit him were wonderful). But he also knew she could take care of herself. The unicorn hair proved that much.

No, Stanford had no doubt in the girl's ability to take care of herself. What worried him was what she might do to herself in Dipper's absence. The last time she thought Dipper abandoned her…

Ford shuddered at the thought. The idea of Mabel lasting until Christmas with no family support and the separation of her twin was scary. He had no idea why Mabel would want to put herself through that.

Suspicion once again arose. Why _did_ she want to go to Hogwarts? What benefit would it serve? True, learning magic was obviously a desirable option, but he would think Mabel would want to be with her family in a time like this. Both to lend and get support. That was what the Mabel he knew would do.

Stanford looked across the room once again. His brother's eyes were demanding. Mr. and Mrs. Pines's were hopeful. He skipped the wizard because he didn't really care about what he thought. Mabel's eyes were…

Stanford groaned inwardly, _'Oh stars, she's giving me the puppy eyes.'_

And it was true. Mabel's eyes shone with pleading, sparkles, and cuteness. She knew him all too well. And so, despite his better judgement, Stanford sighed, "My vote goes to Mabel."

"Yes!" Stan and the wizard shouted in unison.

Mr. and Mrs. Pines stood there in shock, "B-b-but…"

Stan laughed and threw an arm around Mr. and Mrs. Pines, "Hey, ya' put up a good fight. But this is what Mabel wants. Remember that."

Mabel grinned and hopped down. She just completed the impossible: change her parent's mind. The wizard smiled out of relief more than anything, "Get your things, Ms. Pines. We'll send you over to Hogwarts shortly."

She nodded and went to collect her stuff.

* * *

 **"** **Boys, why can't you hate each other in secret?"**

 **\- Mabel Pines**


	6. Chapter 6: Meeting the Victim

**oOH CRAP GUYS I FORGOT IT WAS WEDNESDAY SORRY. Geez you're already on Chapter Six I need to pick up my writing pace. I'm doing like a chapter every two weeks. Of course where I'm at it's kinda boring I've gotta do all sorts of bonding things before I dive into the juicy stuff. And I started a half-planned side story with the Grunkles but more on that later.**

 **Okay anyway here's the short chapter six I don't own Gravity Falls please leave a review and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Meeting the Victim**

She stood outside Hogwart's grounds. The goodbyes were brief, mostly due to Mabel. She didn't want to stay with her family any longer than she had to (as strange as that sounds). She had to leave before they changed their minds. But, as she was leaving, Mabel gave her family Flappy (Dipper's owl). She heard there were more owls at Hogwarts and frankly, they needed him more than she did. They agreed to send letters frequently and exchange ownership of the owl, so both her parents and the Grunkles could contact Mabel when they wished.

The wizard smiled warmly and walked her through the gates. "You're a bit late, but don't worry. We'll have you sorted in the morning."

Mabel wasn't exactly sure what 'sorted' was, but at the moment she didn't care. The castle that loomed before her was beyond anything she could've imagined. The lights reflected against the lake like flames and the night sky looked like glitter. "It's like a Disney Princess castle times one-billion!" she exclaimed. The wizard gave her a confused look, not sure what a 'Disney castle' was.

"I… I guess it is?"

They eventually reached the inside, and McGonagall stood waiting for them. Mabel waved, "Hello Professor McGumball!"

"McGonagall. Professor McGonagall," Professor McGonagall corrected, "And is what they said…?"

"True?" asked the wizard, "Yes."

She touched her forehead as if she was having a severe headache, "Oh my."

"But I still want to go to school," Mabel reminded quickly.

"Of course you do," said the wizard, "You made that perfectly clear."

McGonagall nodded, "Education is very important. But we will understand if you want to take some time off—"

"No," Mabel said firmly. The Professor blinked in surprise but nodded, "Very well. I will lead you to Headmaster Dumbledore."

At the name 'Dumbledore', Mabel's breathing hitched. Dumbledore was… the headmaster? Headmasters were like principals, right? Great, she had to help kill the _principal_ of all people. She was suspended once already, but she was certain this would lead to suspension from _all_ schools.

The wizard waved, interrupting her from her thoughts, "This is where I leave you. Take good care of her!"

Mabel waved back and allowed the professor to lead her away. They walked down the halls of the school. What Mabel found the coolest were the moving pictures. She waved to them and carried out light conversations as they walked past.

"Nice beard! You ride that lion! Funky hairdo! Yeah, girl, keep rocking that hat! _You_ can call me the girl of your dreams. Call me!"

McGonagall ignored her, having long grown used to her outgoing personality. The only thing that surprised her was how… _normal_ she was acting (well, as normal as Mabel could get). Shaking off the thought, she led her to the statue of a griffin and stopped. After a few moments of silence, Mabel put her hands out in front of her, "So is this the Headmaster, or…?"

The professor leaned down and said, "I enjoy Acid Pops." The statue twisted backward and upwards, creating spiraling steps. Mabel's mouth made an _o_ shape.

Professor McGonagall stepped on the stairs, with Mabel right behind her. They were carried up to large oaken doors. McGonagall knocked and asked, "Albus?"

"It's open as always!" called a voice.

She opened the door and walked in, "Mabel Pines has arrived."

"Ah! Bring her in, bring her in."

Mabel entered the room nervously, steeling herself to meet the will-be-dead person. But as soon as she saw him she let out a horrified gasp. He was an old guy! And not a normal grumpy old guy like Grunkle Stan, but a _nice_ old guy! His eyes were _twinkling,_ for crying out loud!

Mabel looked at him up and down, searching for a good reason that would allow her conscience to help assassinate, but it was all in vain. He wore an old grey hat that matched his old grey robe. His beard was long and white and resting upon his nose was half-moon spectacles. But upon closer examination, she saw that beneath his happy mask was something stressed and tired. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes his smile was more of a sad smile. But instead of helping her feel better about ending his existence, it just made her feel _worse._

He looked down at her and smiled, "You must be Mabel. Minerva told me so much about you. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, or Dumbledore for short," he reached into his robes, "Lemon drop?"

Mabel felt herself die inside. He had a funny name _and_ cool things in his pockets! The two things she admires in wizards!

When Mabel didn't answer, he turned to McGonagall, "Lemon drop?"

She huffed and stepped back, "Albus, this is not a joke! A child was kidnapped, right before boarding the train!"

"Yes, a tragedy," he popped the lemon drop in his mouth, "But we mustn't talk as if it will be the last time we will ever see him. This poor girl has had quite a day and we mustn't distress her more with facts she already knows. I think this will be better discussed in the morning, don't you?"

"But the child—"

"Ah yes, Mabel," he kneeled down to her height, "Wouldn't you rather retell your story in the morning?"

Mabel nodded gratefully, "Yes please."

"Then it is settled. Off to bed with you now. Please try to sleep."

"But where will she—"

"Anyplace will do," he waved, "Just so long there is a bed and nice hot cup of butter beer. Goodnight dear."

She waved, "Goodnight Professor Double Door."

"Dumbledore," McGonagall corrected.

They walked back down the stairs and wandered around the school a bit. Finally McGonagall found a warm, welcoming room with all the comforts for a good night's rest. "This is Professor Slughorn's room. He is planning to use this room for his little parties."

Mabel looked around the room. The fireplace cast the entire area in a warm glow. Odd bits and ends were scattered everywhere. To the side there was a long table, obviously meant for multiple guests. Books and sofas faced the fire, a designated lounging area. There were a few unpacked suitcases here and there, but despite this fact the entire room gave Mabel a comfortable, sleepy feel.

"I apologize on the school's behalf for not having a bed good and ready," she continued, "But this is one event we were entirely unprepared for."

Mabel climbed on top of one of the overstuffed sofas and laid down on a pillow. Fatigue settled on her like a snow on the ground. She hadn't realize how tired she was.

"I can transfigure the sofas into a bed," she found a blanket in a box and stood up, "It would only take a mo—"

Her speech was but off when she saw the young girl already on the couch, fast asleep. McGonagall shook her head and smiled, "Or you can just fall asleep on the sofa." The professor laid the blanket over the twin and left the room. "Goodnight Ms. Pines."

* * *

 _Miles away, Dipper Pines slept in a not-so-comforting place. He curled into himself and stared at the wall. He wondered if his parents knew yet. Would they tell Grunkle Stan and Ford? What about Wendy? He hoped they weren't worried. He wondered how Mabel was holding up._

 _The only hint was that he was still alive. That meant Mabel's lie worked. He was still debating if that was a good thing or a bad thing._

 _He shivered and buried his hands deeply into his pockets, hoping to warm up his throbbing hands. When he woke up earlier that day, Dipper found his fingers bruised and sore (though he wasn't sure why). As he flexed them in his pockets, they brushed against strange lump nestled in the pouch's corner. Curious, he pulled it out._ 'Perhaps it'll be the key to my escape?' _They hadn't searched him after all. Quite foolish on their part, in Dipper's opinion. He should've checked his pockets sooner._

 _He examined the object closely, trying to make out exactly what it was in the dim light. To Dipper's disappointment, he saw it was only Mabel's headband—the one he snatched away earlier that day. He sighed in annoyance and shoved the headband back into his pocket._

 _Dipper was cold, hungry, tired, and frankly just wanted to go home. A part of him wished Mabel was here with him. His twin sister always had a way of brightening things up. But the more logical part of him reminded that that was impossible. His fingers traced the newly-acquired mark on his arm; on the bright side, it looked_ really _cool. But on the other side, it felt humiliating. Almost like a collar or tag._

 _He sighed and clung to Wendy's hat. It smelt like Gravity Falls: the woods and Wendy and the Shack. But even the memory of home could bring him out of his gloom._

'Hopefully Mabel's having a better time than I am,' _he thought dully._ 'Anyplace is better than here.'

 _If only he knew how tragically right that statement was._

* * *

 **"** **Oh, come on! It could be worse."**

 **"** **Yeah, Joy. We can be lying on a dirty floor, in a bag."**

 **\- Inside Out**


	7. Chapter 7: Sorted

**Early Update! Yay for you guys! I'm leaving for Utah on Wednesday so I decided to update early, as I wouldn't be able to do it on the usual date.**

 **And you know what's sucky? Starting chapter 14 and then having your computer crash on you, making you lose all of your progress. Granted, it was only a couple of pages, but there's nothing I hate more that having to re-write what I've already written. It's torture for me.**

 **Anyway, let me know how you liked this chapter in the reviews! Hope everyone's in character and stuff. Also hope it wasn't too long... I considered breaking this chapter into two parts but then the second one would be too short. Alright, I'll stop typing now and let y'all read. Remember to review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Sorted**

Mabel was shaken awake. She squinted her eyes opened and saw an annoyed fat man standing above her, "Why are you sleeping on my sofa?"

Mabel scrambled off the sofa and tried to string her words into a coherent excuse, "I, um… well, you see… I was tired, a-and the sofa… it was—"

The man shook his head disapprovingly, "First night, and students are already breaking into their professor's rooms."

"But I didn't—!"

"Come on now, which house are you? I think some docked points are in order."

"Professor Slughorn!"

Professor Slughorn turned around and saw McGonagall standing at the doorway. He smiled warmly, "Oh! Good morning Professor McGonagall! Can you believe it? First night and students are already escaping their beds! It's impressive, but I still need to—"

"I put her here."

"…what?"

"Are you deaf? I put her here."

"Well, of course I'm not deaf. I am just surprised that—"

"She is yet to be sorted."

"She is yet to be… oh!" dawning set in his features, "This is… oh my! I am so sorry. You are Mabel Pines?"

McGonagall took Mabel's hand, "Good day Professor."

"Would you like to come to my party? Just something to consider."

"Good day."

The Professor led Mabel out of the room quickly after that. She glanced back curiously, "Who was that?"

"Professor Slughorn, the potions master. He hasn't taught students in quite a while."

"Huh," she looked back a while longer before shrugging, "What are we doing today? Can I get my luggage? Do you have sprinkles? I need to feed my pig Waddles. Why do the pictures move? Am I gonna' meet other students? When will I—"

"To answer your questions in order, you will be sorted, yes, no, I will see to it, magic, and yes."

"What's sorted?"

"You will see."

"Dipper tried to explain it to me, but I wasn't really listening," her eyebrows creased, "He was really excited to go here, you know." Her upbeat skipping slowed, "He's a big nerd like that. He always gets really excited about school. He would've been really smart." Mabel felt McGonagall's grip tighten.

Mabel wondered what Dipper was doing right now. The Dark Lord guy said to go meet this Draco person. Maybe he would be able to contact the snake dude?

Mabel's smile return and she continued skipping. Dipper would be fine because she will complete her mission. She'll have help from Draco and stuff. "Don't worry. My bro-bro is tough. He's like, really cool. He'll be back before we know it! ...Don't tell him I said that."

"Of course."

They walked a different path this time, a path that didn't lead to Dumbledore's cool office. Mabel didn't question it though. Professor McGonagall probably knew her way around here way better than Mabel did.

At last, the Professor and twin reached a pair of doors with delicious smells coming from behind. "You will be sorted in front of the entire school this morning."

She smiled, "Ooh! So I get to meet everybody?"

"Yes, you can say that." She opened the door and walked in. Mabel took a deep breath and followed. But that breath didn't stay in her body for long. For as soon as she stepped inside, her breath was swept away.

Hundreds of students sat around tables full of delicious breakfast foods. Brilliant, vibrant banners hung on the stone walls like flags. Glowing candles floated above people's heads (it was a wonder no wax dripped in their hair). And the ceiling… _oh,_ the ceiling.

It shone with the colors of early morning. The clouds were so fluffy and the colors were so real Mabel almost thought the room had no roof. It was beautiful.

At first, nobody noticed them. They were all too busy eating their food. When the delicious aromas hit her nostrils, she suddenly realized how hungry she was. Mabel's stomach growled loudly.

McGonagall glanced down at her before setting her eyes forward again. Through some sort of magic that could only be telekinesis, Dumbledore glanced up from his food and met the professor's gaze. He stood up and walked to the podium, pointing his wand to his throat.

 _"_ _Attention!_ Attention everyone!"

Mabel jumped at the loud booming voice that echoed through the cavernous room. She was surprised an old man like him could talk so loud. The students, however, only looked up from their meals in mild interest.

Once the hall was properly silenced, Dumbledore continued, "As you all know, two students were unfortunately absent during the sorting. Luckily, we were able to recover one of them and bring her here. Please try to make her feel welcome and comfortable in our school. Mabel Pines, will you please come up here?"

All eyes turned backward and rested on Mabel and McGonagall. The professor took her hand and led Mabel all the way up to the podium where a stool was resting. On top of the stool sat on old, black hat.

McGonagall removed the hat and motioned for Mabel to sit on the stool. Mabel grinned, "Old creepy hat that smells like mildew? Count me in!"

A few students snickered as she rushed to the stool. Once she was seated, the hat was dropped on her head. The rim covered her ears and eyes, muffling any sound coming from the hall. She was in complete darkness.

 _"_ _Hmm, what do we have here?"_

Mabel cocked her head in surprise. She heard it in her head, but it wasn't a voice she recognized. _'Who said that?'_ she wondered.

 _"_ _I did. I am the Sorting Hat."_

 _'_ _Cool! Talking hat! So what are you supposed to do?'_

 _"_ _I am supposed to sort you into your house based on who you are. You are the first student to be sorted late, you know."_

 _'_ _I'm the first in a lot of things,'_ she grinned.

The hat chuckled, _"Indeed. Now let's see what exactly is inside your head, hmm?"_

 _"…_ _.not Ravenclaw. You are not much of an intellect. You would much rather play than learn. Definitely not Slytherin. You can be cunning and ambitious if needed, but those moments are more spontaneous than consistent."_

Mabel had absolutely no idea what it was talking about, but decided to take it as a compliment. _'Thank you.'_

The sorting hat ignored her, _"Incredibly brave. You are willing to sacrifice yourself for others. You speak your mind and can be a bit stubborn… and incredibly reckless. A clear Gryffindor. But you are kind. And loyal. You make work fun and like to see people smile. The sacrifices you make are made out of love. A Hufflepuff."_

Mabel smiled proudly, agreeing with every word.

 _"_ _But…"_ Mabel's smile fell, _"Sometimes you let your own needs and wants overpower others. You act without thinking of the consequences. You have been trying to get better, but when you get excited these negative traits show through."_

Mabel crossed her arms and huffed. _'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.'_

He laughed, _"Gryffindor! That was your Gryffindor side right there. Yet you are so much like a Hufflepuff. Kind yet brave. Loyal and trusting. My dear, which would you prefer?"_

Mabel still had no idea what was going on, but she was pretty sure he was asking who Mabel wanted to be with. She bit her lip and tried to think. Then a thought popped in her head.

 _'_ _Which house is Gary Potter in?'_

 _"_ _Don't you mean Harry Potter? Why, he's in Gryffindor. But I don't see how that—"_

 _'_ _I want to be sorted into Gryffindor.'_

 _"…_ _It hardly seems appropriate to sort you into a house based on a celebrity. I think you would fit in nicely with the Hufflepuffs…"_

 _'_ _Nope,'_ she thought happily, _'I think I'll be the best as a Gryffindor.'_

 _"_ _Just because of Harry Potter?"_

 _'_ _Pfft, I'm not_ that _shallow. Gryffindor is kind, right? I want to be with nice people."_

 _"_ _Hufflepuff is kind. Gryffindor is brave."_

 _'_ _Whoops. Did I say kind? I meant brave. I want to be with brave people. I mean, who wouldn't, right?"_ she laughed nervously and tried to smile.

 _"…_ _Gryffindor does suit you well. This I cannot deny. But are you sure this is what_ you _want?"_ he asked carefully, emphasizing the 'you.'

 _'_ _Do pigs fly?'_

 _"_ _No, they do not."_

 _'_ _Then yes! I am sure! As sure as you are sure of pigs not being able to fly!'_

 _"_ _If that is what you want then. It will have to be…"_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

A cheer rose from the red table, which Mabel assumed to be hers. The hat was plucked from her head and she flew down the steps toward the red table. She sat between two random students. She turned to the one on the right, "Hi! The name's Mabel! Nice to meet you!"

The student nodded nervously and shook hands, "My name's Neville."

Dumbledore pointed his wand at his throat again, "Thank you for your patience. I shall offer three words for knowledge: wenis, xiphoid, and watch out for gardyloos. Now please continue with your meals."

If Mabel was listening, she would have heard an unsatisfied grumble circulate through the hall. But she wasn't listening. She was staring at the food.

There was so _much_ of it! And it all looked delicious! Pancakes, waffles, eggs, toast, muffins, biscuits, things she couldn't even name… it was awesome! She hadn't eaten since late morning yesterday. Since then she has had a single butterbeer and a candy bar from her robe. She was starving.

The young student dished up as much as her plate could hold, and then some. After her plate was properly overfilled, she then proceeded to inhale her food.

At some point it occurred that if she didn't stop soon she might blow up. So Mabel forced herself to stop and push her plate away. She wasn't feeling the effects of overeating yet, but she knew that she will get a massive tummy ache later.

 _'_ _Still better than exploding,'_ she thought absentmindedly.

Mabel glanced at her side and saw Neville staring at her, completely bug-eyed. She raised her eyebrows, "What?"

Neville blushed and looked away, "N-nothing, nothing. It's just… I never saw a girl eat so fast before."

Mabel laughed, "Ha! That was nothing! I eat sugar straight out of the box!"

Breakfast eventually came to an end, and students began to file out. They all had nice books and bags, while Mabel only had some wrinkled robes she slept in overnight. She didn't even know where her luggage was, which was a bummer because she really wanted to see Waddles.

With no place to go to and no instruction, Mabel Pines experimented with the food on the table, trying to create the perfect Mabel Food. She gathered all sorts of strange, magical things and mashed them into a soup bowl she found on the table. Despite the strangeness though, it didn't quite meet her standards. She had no glitter, sprinkles, _or_ plastic dinosaurs. But she just had to do her best with what she had.

But before she could even get to the fourth ingredient, someone put a hand on her shoulder. Mabel glanced up from her creation to see Professor McGonagall staring sternly at her, "What are you doing?"

"Using my ultra-creative mind to make— _buh du du dah!—_ Mabel Food," she presented proudly, "I've got no idea what I put in it but it's swirling on its own so it must be good."

The old Professor sighed, "I would've thought that you'd be too old for playing with your food. Clean your mess and come with me. Professor Dumbledore would like to talk to you before we give you your schedule."

After they cleaned her "mess" (aka masterpiece) McGonagall led Mabel out of the room and down through—this time—familiar halls.

They reached the statue once again and climbed the staircase. Before she knew it Mabel Pines found herself seated in front of the school principal. Mabel found this funny, because in any other school in any other circumstance, it'd be absolutely terrible (and maybe even impossible) to have a need to meet with the principal on your first day of school.

Dumbledore laced his fingers and rested them on his desk, "So Mabel, may you please tell us your story now?"

Mabel nodded and retold her lie once again. She found it easier to lie to a stranger rather than her family. She told him how they were walking to the train when she saw a bright flash. When she woke up Dipper was gone.

Nice, quick, and simple. She told lies before, but usually they were far-fetched and elaborate. Mabel was glad she made this one simple. She would probably mess up if it was long.

Dumbledore listened through her rather short story. He unlaced his hands and put them in his robes. But as he did so Mabel noticed one of them was all shriveled up and a gross, black color. She recoiled slightly, but otherwise didn't say anything. Age did weird things to the body.

"You remember nothing else?" he asked.

"Nope! Not a thing!" Mabel replied, almost too cheerfully. "Nada, zilch, zero, nothing. Completely, 100% blank through and through! Nothing but blank, blank, blank."

"Absolutely nothing else at all?" he asked again.

"Absolutely nothing else," she assured.

Dumbledore leaned back in his seat and _hawed._ "Unusual… very unusual… and a bit peculiar."

McGonagall placed her hands on Mabel's shoulders, "Professor Dumbledore," she said sternly, "This young lady needs to get to her first class. She is already late."

Dumbledore waved them aside in an almost stressful manner, "Go along then. We mustn't have her late for her classes. Not with her missing a year at least."

After exiting the office, McGonagall led her down the hallways once again. "Since you have missed a year, we have much work to make up for. You will be rushing through the First Year to catch up to the Second Year. I hope you're a fast learner."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Mabel asked, who was too busy watching a moving plant to pay attention.

McGonagall huffed in annoyance, "I suppose I should also tell you about House Points."

"House Points?"

"Yes, House Points. You earn them and lose them together as a house. For example, if a student from Gryffindor behaved well or answered a question correctly, their House will receive a certain amount of points. But if they were to misbehave, by sneaking out after hours or _not paying attention—"_ Mabel shrugged sheepishly. McGonagall shook her head in exasperation, "—they will lose points. It is a team effort. The House with the most points wins."

"Well, luckily for me I am just _way_ adorable," she waved the empty sleeves of her robes up and down, "Nobody can look at this face and take away points. Plus I'm super well behaved."

Professor McGonagall stopped and looked down at her with such a deadpan look Mabel almost thought that she'd die right then and there. Without changing face, she turned toward the hall and continued with her leading, "We shall see."

Mabel tugged at the sweater under her robes. For some reason, she suddenly felt really hot and sweaty.

* * *

McGonagall gave Mabel her school supplies that she had retrieved from the luggage and a schedule. Mabel still had no idea where Flappers and Waddles were, but she made it her first priority to find them after all her classes.

The first class was actually taught by Professor McGonagall herself. She transformed herself from a human to a cat and then back again, amazing all the students. Mabel clapped politely, but she'd already seen an actual Shapeshifter in action so overall she wasn't that wowed.

Professor McGonagall handed out matches and told them they had to change it into needles. Mabel tried a few times but totally failed. She tried looking around at the other students for some cheat—err, _advice,_ but Mabel was sitting way in the back alone because she was the last one to arrive.

Mabel tried once again, waving her wand and shouting the incantation. But nothing happened.

 _'_ _C'mon Mabel,'_ the twin thought, _'If you can't make a needle, how are you supposed to fix a magic cabinet?'_

So the young student tried once again, but in a different way this time. She studied the match long and hard. She noticed how it wasn't too different from a needle. They were both straight, long, small, and had one round end. Sure, there were differences, but she just skimmed over those parts.

The next step was imagining. Mabel had always been an imaginative child, so this part was easy. She simply just looked at the match and saw it was a needle instead. She ignored what reality told her was real and made up her own.

Finally, Mabel waved her wand and shouted the incantation. When she opened her eyes there sat a wooden needle. An excited squeal erupted, "Woah! Did you see that? It's a needle now! Oh wow, I made a needle!"

Her classmates looked back and stared. Most of them looked astonished, but there were a few who stared at their own pointed matches in jealousy, realizing what excitable progress they did amounted to nearly nothing. Gathering students quickly scattered as McGonagall marched down the row, "Let me see that!" She snatched up the needle and stared at it closely. Doubt soon changed in to astonishment. "Merlin's Beard! In all my years of teaching… never had it happened so fast! Ten points to Gryffindor!" she set the needle back in front of Mabel, "Let's see if you can make it metal, hm?"

But for the rest of the class, Mabel could not make the wooden needle metal. Though it did become glossy.

Her next class was Charms. Mabel actually liked that class a lot. It was taught by a short man with a squeaky voice. He was so small he had to stand on books to reach his desk! Mabel almost mistook him for a really tall gnome at first, but he assured her that he was very human when she asked about it. In the class they had to levitate feathers. Mabel mastered that one pretty quickly too. After all, feathers were _meant_ for flying. It wasn't that hard to imagine.

After that was Potions. It was taught by the fat man that woke her up that morning. The only thing she paid attention to was the fact that his name was Slughorn. She was really starting to like wizards. They had such funny names.

Then there was History of Magic, which was surprisingly taught by a ghost. At first Mabel thought it'd be all fun times and floating, but as the class droned on she realized it was exactly the… opposite. The rumor was that the ghost didn't even know he was dead. Most of the kids in her class fell asleep, but Mabel made herself useful by tearing out textbook pages and making paper hats.

The Defense against the Dark Arts was next. It was taught by a really greasy, gross man named Snape. He was a really big jerk and played _total_ favorites. She lost twenty-five points in that darned class. It wasn't _her_ fault she didn't know the incantation of a Shield Charm, or lost her quill, or didn't take notes….

Though, in its defense, it was one of the only classes where she didn't fall asleep in. There was too much gushy drama to pay attention to for that. After that was lunch. Nothing happened there except Mabel learned that the food appeared magically IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE. But other than that it was cool.

Then there was Astronomy taught by this really cute shirtless Professor. Or… at least, Mabel _thought_ he was cute, until he stepped out from behind his desk and revealed his lower horse-half. Didn't matter _how_ hot he was, she was done with magical horses thank you very much.

And finally, the last class. Something called Herbology. When she first heard of it, Mabel thought it would be about cooking and herbs, but then it turned out to be about planting and… well, plants. Which was fine by her. Mabel didn't mind getting a little dirty every now and then.

When the girl realized that school was finally over, she flew outside the greenhouse and into her school. She learned that Waddles was waiting for her in her bed. She ran into her dormitory and wrapped her beloved pig in a giant bear-hug. "WADDLES! Oh my gosh I have so much to tell you! Today was _exhausting!_ There were so many classes! And there was this really mean guy named Snape who was being a _total_ poop-head to me. So how was your day? Did you have any fun? Where were you?"

And on and on the excited girl prattled. With no one else to talk to, and her dormitory being completely empty, Waddles was her only output for her social energy. Which was okay. Mabel spent a lot of time with her pig anyway. Her excited chatter filled the room and almost carried down the hall. Unfortunately, not everybody was having a good as time as Mabel.

* * *

 _Dipper stood with his wand out in front of him. He chanted the incantation and waved his wand once more, only to be rewarded with a few measly sparks. He winced._

 _"_ _You stupid boy! How can you serve the Dark Lord if you can't even perform the simplest of spells?" the man behind him screamed. Dipper was shoved forward to the ground. Wheezy laughter sounded from beside him, where two stocky death eaters had gathered to watch Dipper's failures._

 _The man shook his head and spat at him, "Of course, what else can I expect from mudblood scum like you, eh? Don't know why the master is even bothering with the likes of you."_

 _Dipper glared and got up, not ready to give in yet. He yelled the spell again, and came up with the same result._

 _The man sneered, "Pathetic. You'll never amount to anything. You hear? You will become nothing."_

 _Dipper grit his teeth and tried again, determined to get it right. He screamed the spell. He screamed so loud his voice cracked. Still, nothing._

 _"_ _The little mudblood isn't even holding his wand right!" chortled the death eater from the sidelines. "Are you holding a weapon or a quill?"_

 _The two burst into loud, wheezy laughter. They laughed so hard they nearly doubled over. The wizard behind him huffed in annoyance. Dipper felt heat rise to his cheeks. "This is my first day, so back off!"_

 _The wizard grabbed Dipper's hair and yanked him around to face him. He was breathing heavily into Dipper's face. "What did I say about speaking!?" Dipper didn't answer. Though the man was still grabbing his hair and it hurt, Dipper didn't lessen his defiant glare. He shook him, "What did I say!?" When he still didn't answer, the man sighed and dropped him. "This lad's got fire in him, that's for sure."_

 _"_ _What'd you suppose we should do with him?" they asked._

 _He considered this for a moment. And then with a sly smile he replied, "I know exactly what to do."_

 _He grabbed Dipper by his robe's hood and dragged him away. A strangled yelp escaped his lips as he struggled. "H-hey! Put me down! I… I still need to finish training!"_

 _His protests went unheard by the wizard. The two disappeared through the doorway, with the two curious, stocky death eaters trailing close behind._

* * *

 **"** **Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."**

 **\- Jiminy Cricket**


	8. Chapter 8: Another Rude Blonde

**Hey guys! Soooo sorry for the late update. I went to Utah for two weeks and when I'm on vacation... I don't work. Like, at all. My life goes on hold. So yeah, no updates for you guys.**

 **But! I updated as soon as I got back! So a day earlier than I was planning! Yay!**

 **Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. We finally get into some plot with Mabel. Nothing big yet, just the introduction. Some people were concerned that nothing bad was happening to Mabel, but honestly dealing with Draco for a year and going against all of her morals (all the while being completely alienated from her family) is bad enough, in my opinion.**

 **Some of you were wondering why I chose Dipper to be with Voldemort rather than Mabel. And the answer is... I really cannot imagine Mabel in that situation. She would either be dead or have escaped in the first week. And also Dipper working with Draco? No way. They're both WAY to stubborn to cooperate with each other. And if a young girl like Mabel was in Dipper's position... I might have to get into some stuff that is a bit higher than a T rating, if you know what I mean. This is a kid's show in a 10+ book, I'm not getting into** ** _that_** **stuff. It's icky.**

 **Anyway! Leave a review and tell me how you like it! It's a short chapter, I know. But hey, it's interesting. You'll see another chapter next Wednesday! And thanks for reading :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Another Rude Blonde**

Mabel Pines woke up to chatter. The girls in her dormitory were scuffling around frantically, trying desperately to get ready. Mabel rolled her eyes and yawned, knowing full well she could get ready twice as fast as everybody else. She rolled over to try to get a few more moments of sleep when something snuffed her face. She smiled and re-opened her eyes. "Well, hey you!" she laughed and scratched Waddles behind the ears. He snorted and hopped off the bed. She then rolled off of her bed and onto the floor.

Mabel Pines lay there a bit, admiring the wooden floor. It was smooth and glossy, no splinters whatsoever. She nudged Waddles and held up her hand, "Look at my total lack of splinters Waddles!"

He oinked and licked her hand.

Grinning, she patted his head and got dressed. After that she headed downstairs to the Great Hall with all of the other girls, leaving Waddles behind on her bed. Breakfast was absolutely delicious and had many experimenting opportunities. She mixed all sorts of food in her breakfast bowl that morning, creating something she liked to call 'Mabel Soup'. At the moment it wasn't really edible but it was sparkly, so that was something. (Though the sparkle part was surprising, as she didn't add any glitter).

Her plan for that day was to A) find Draco Malfoy, B) to find this 'Harry Potter' and C) try to write a letter to her parents. She suspected Harry to be easy, (he was basically a celebrity here). But Draco may be a bit harder. Everyone filed back to the common rooms.

Mabel was checking her schedule when something whizzed over her head. She looked up and saw a…. fanged Frisbee? It hit a wall and landed at her feet.

"Oi mate! Can you pass that back?" Mabel looked and saw a redheaded boy from the other side of the room.

"Absolutely!" she picked up the fanged Frisbee and tossed it back. Thirty minutes later, she was in Defense against the Dark Arts.

So since Mabel had three goals that day, she began to ask around. She asked about Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and the Owlery. She figured out the Owlery pretty fast, and most of the girls were able to give a pretty good description of Harry. Unruly black hair, dreamy green eyes, cute oversized glasses, etc., etc. But none of the first years seemed to know who Draco was. They knew who the Malfoys were, but not Draco.

She was contemplating this when she saw a familiar boy walking in the halls. She grinned and called out to him, "Neville! Neville! Hey, Neville!"

He turned around and stared down at the short, second-year girl. "Umm… hello?"

"It's me! Mabel Pines! I sat next to you during breakfast yesterday!"

"Oh! Right. Sorry."

"So…. I'm trying to find someone," she drawled, "But nobody can tell me who he is."

Neville shook his head quickly. "Oh no, you don't want to ask me. I can never remember _anyone."_

"I'm sure you'll know this guy!" she encouraged. "His name is Draco Malfoy!"

He straightened. _"Him?_ Wh-what'd you want with him?"

"So you know Draco?"

"Yeah, I know him. Somewhat."

"Awww yeah!" she did a fist pump. "Can you tell me where he is?"

"Uh, he should be getting out of his class right now. It's right down that hall. First left."

She ran off. "Thank you Neville!"

"Wait! Why did you want—aaaannd, she's gone."

The young girl dashed down the hallway, robes flying behind her like a cape. She skidded to a stop and looked left and there—just like he said—was a whole busload of older students filing out of class. She started calling out his name. "Draco! Draco Malfoy! Draco!" she weaved between the moving crowds of students, "DRAAACCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Someone tapped her shoulder.

"Draco!?"

"Um, _no._ My name is _Ginny_. Couldn't help but notice you're looking for Malfoy. He's over there, by the way." She pointed to a lone blonde boy storming down the hall angrily.

"Thank you!"

Ginny nodded and waved the girl off. She stared after her a few seconds out of curiosity, wondering what _anyone_ would want to do with a _Malfoy._ She eventually shrugged and walked down the dungeon to find Harry and her brother.

Mabel sped-walked toward Draco. She could hear him muttering angrily beneath his breath. "There's no way Potter got that potion right….! _Slughorn's_ favorite…. have to steal it…."

"Hey! Hey!" Mabel stepped in front of him and gave him a sweet smile. "Are you Draco Malfoy?"

He narrowed his eyes and sneered distastefully at her Gryffindor colors. " _Yes._ Who're you?"

Mabel got so excited she forgot about personal boundaries. She squealed and hugged him. _"Yes yes yes!_ I knew I'd find you! I knew it!"

"Get off of me!" he pushed her off and backed away. "What's wrong with you!?"

"I've been trying to find you all day!"

"Well then, spit it out! Unlike you (apparently), I don't have all day."

"Okay, okay." She took a deep breath, trying to re-gather her thoughts. "So, it's kinda a long story—"

"What do you want?"

"Well, long story short this Dark Lord guy took my bro-bro and now he wants us to work together to fix a cabinet! _Yay!_ "

Before Mabel knew what was going on, she was pushed backward into an empty classroom. Draco looked up and down the hallways before slamming the door shut. _"Are you mad? Don't speak so loudly!"_ he hissed and pointed his wand in her face. _"And who are you!? And what do you know!?"_

"Rude," Mabel frowned and pushed the wand away. "My name's Mabel. And the Dark Lord guy sent me on a mission or something. He wants me to help you, I think."

"Impossible! This is _my_ mission! And you're just a second year! What family do you belong to?"

She smiled strangely at him, "Uh… The Pines family?"

Confusion contorted his face. "Pines? I never heard of _them_ before. What pureblood family do you…?"

"Pureblood?" Mabel laughed. "I don't know what that is, but I think the word you're looking for is _Mudblood._ That's what he called us, anyway…"

Draco stood there for a few seconds in complete shock. He narrowed his eyes. "You're _lying!"_ Draco shoved his wand back in her face. "Did Dumbledore send you? How do you know all of this!?"

"I swear I'm not lying!" she cried. "I'm not—"

"The Dark Lord would never let _Mudblood filth_ survive an encounter. Who do you work for? Who else knows?"

"I—I…!" she stuttered. Then she had an idea. "I'm not lying! Here, I can prove it!" she rolled up her sleeve and brandished her mark almost desperately. "See!? He put it on my arm!"

The boy lowered his wand and backed up. "Impossible…."

"Told you so."

"No, it's…. that's impossible! Those are only for people in the _inner circle!"_ Draco stormed around the room. "This is _my_ mission! _My_ idea! Does he not believe in me…? Is this a punishment?" he held out his arms and faced the ceiling, as if awaiting for an answer. When none came, he stomped his foot and stormed toward the door. "I'm writing to my mother about this…. And _you!"_ he pointed at her. "Don't you _dare_ tell anyone!" The door slammed behind him, making the doorframe shake.

Mabel stood there in shock. That did _not_ go as expected.

"Rude." She sighed and plopped down on the floor. The girl couldn't believe it. She spend _all day_ looking for him and he just…. yelled at her? She didn't even know. What was that all about anyway? One would _think_ he'd be happy to get help. Like, what the heck?

Mabel shook her head and stood up. "Cheer up Mabel," she told herself. "I'm sure he had a good reason." She reached inside her bag to get her schedule, but instead her hand found something else. A slow grin etched the twin's face. "Besides…."

"There's nothing that leftover birthday candy can't fix!"

* * *

 **"** **Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."**

 **\- Albert Einstein**


	9. Chapter 9: Making Friends

**Hey guys! Updated on time this time! Special thanks to TheFalls, Slenderbrine, and gamelover41592 for leaving a review. Reviews keep me motivated and show that people are actually interested. (Also The Keeper of Worlds, because you left lots of reviews in other chapters so thanks for that).**

 **Anyway, hopefully this chapter is okay. I'm not super proud of it. I added another Dipper scene, and tbh I liked this chapter better without it. But I think it's important because this is a turning point for him and it forces him to take action. I know I don't go into a lot of detail in his day-to-day antics, but honestly I don't think I have to. If you have any questions about his predicament just ask me.**

 **Anyway, not** ** _super_** **impressed by this chapter but hey it's a chapter. Sorry for its length. Remember to review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Making Friends**

Dipper lay on his side, puffy eyes staring blankly ahead, hands shaking. He knew his situation was bad… but he didn't know it was _this_ bad. Over the week, he had undergone a lot of things. Vicious punishments, impossible training, lots of cleaning and humiliation… all with a minimum amounts of food and water. But he didn't know it was _this_ bad…

For the first time that week, Dipper Pines was scared for his life. Scratch that, he wasn't scared, he was _terrified._ He didn't know it could get this bad.

It was his fault, really…. He shouldn't have gotten mouthy when Bellatrix was in the same room. He had seen how unstable she could be… guess he never really understood how big of a threat she was. She always seemed to avoid him, for some reason.

It was a slip of tongue, something he murmured underneath his breath. Nobody was supposed to hear his little quip, but she did. And it was enough to set her off. He didn't think it could get worse, but it did. After Bellatrix did what she did, _everybody_ started doing it to. They thought it was funny.

Up until now, Dipper hadn't really realized the weight of his situation. The abuse he endured was only a few levels higher than schoolyard bullying. Being pushed around, name calling, whack to the head here and there. Wasn't anything compared to Bill's chaos. He was kinda in denial about how bad it could get.

What Bellatrix did opened a huge new level of abuse. It was like they were all waiting for someone to cross the line, but none of them were willing to be the first. They seemed okay with doing almost _anything_ now. Like today, they _kicked_ him down the stairs because he was going too slowly. He was sore all over, but thankful that he didn't break a bone.

Yes, Dipper was now terrified. His spirits had now sunk to all new levels of hopelessness and despair. He now wanted to go home now more than ever.

A dark expression passed over his face. His teeth clenched and his red, teary eyes narrowed in defiance and anger. _No,_ he was _not_ going to let these people put him down. He might be scared, but that doesn't mean he has to stop fighting. Dipper survived the _apocalypse_ for crying out loud. He was going to get home. He _will_ find a way.

….he just hoped that he will never have to experience Bellatrix's Cruciatus Curse again.

* * *

Nothing particularly interesting happened over the next few days. She didn't seek out the famous 'boy who lived,' mostly because she was afraid it'd turn out like her last meeting. She didn't hear from Draco either, but frankly she didn't want to talk with such a butt-head anyway.

There was a small part of Mabel that urged to complete the mission, but c'mon! She had all school year to do it! Besides she was swamped with homework anyway…. Of course, she doesn't do most of it but it gave her an excuse to put off her mission for a bit. It has only been like what? Five days? She should try to enjoy her time at Hogwarts.

Speaking of enjoying…

"Up!" Madame Hooch repeated. "You must really _feel_ it. You need to _want_ it. Ride the broomstick, not the other way around!"

A chorus of _'ups'_ sounded from the gaggle of first years. Within a few seconds, a broomstick flew up to some lucky student's hand.

"Well done John!" Hooch congratulated. "Ten points to Slytherin!"

A few more broomsticks flew up, and a few more points were handed out. Mabel half-heartedly tried, and unsurprisingly failed. The Professor noticed her lack of enthusiasm.

"What's the matter?" she demanded.

Mabel shrugged and laughed nervously. "Oh, you know. Broomsticks aren't exactly meant for, you know…. Flying."

"Sure they are! That's the name of the game, Pines!"

"Heh heh. _Wellll…"_

She was interrupted my Madame Hooch, who got distracted by a commotion behind her. "John! Get off the broomstick! No, no, get _down!_ Ten points from Slytherin!"

Mabel sighed and stared down at the limp broom. Ever since her incident with Grunkle Stan she had been afraid of heights. The girl definitely did _not_ want to get on that broomstick. Luckily, she was saved.

 _"_ _Psst! Pines!"_ someone hissed.

Mabel turned around and saw Draco peeking from behind a pillar. He motioned for her to come over. All too happy for the distraction, Mabel complied. "Wow, haven't seen _you_ in a while! How've you—"

"Keep your voice down!" he demanded. "And come behind this pillar. I don't want anyone associating _me_ with _you."_

"Oooohh, right. Secrecy." The twin winked. "What's the plan for today? Are we going to do one of our _secret missions?"_

"What? No!" he shook his head in disgust. "Look, you're a Mudblood so I can't expect you to know this, but I'm a _Malfoy._ We don't associate with your kind. I can't imagine why the Dark Lord chose you to help me, but I want you to stay out of my way."

"What?"

"Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. Keep your head low. And don't ever, _ever,_ bring up the 'secret mission.' Understand?"

Mabel couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No, I _don't_ understand! I'm here to help _you!_ That's the whole point of it!"

Draco Malfoy sneered. "I don't need help. This is my mission."

"Mine too!"

"Stop talking so loud. I've got things to do and you've got magic to mimic. I'll be on my way." Draco began to walk off, but Mabel grabbed his robe.

"You can't do that! He's got my brother, okay? If I don't help you, he dies!"

Draco stopped momentarily. He looked over his shoulder and frowned down at the little second-year. "The Dark Lord has your brother?"

 _"_ _Yes!"_ she exclaimed, relieved that she got somewhere.

He seemed to contemplate this. Then he shrugged unconcernedly. "One less ruddy Mudblood for the world then."

Draco stalked off, leaving Mabel alone behind the pillar in complete shock and disbelief. Before she could react though, Madame Pomphrey found her.

"There you are! I've been searching everywhere for you! Fifteen points from Gryffindor for skimping classes!" Mabel quickly wiped the oncoming tears from her eyes before the Professor could see her properly. Hooch laid a hand on her shoulder and led her back to the brooms. "Come along now. Let's see if you can get that broom of yours off the ground."

* * *

Mabel marched to her common room angrily. At first she was shocked, but now she was _mad._ And nobody should mess with a Pines when they're mad.

She swung the Fat Lady portrait open and stood at the opening of the common room. Students milled about doing every day, student-like things. Mabel placed her hands on her hips and yelled, "Okay! Enough messing around. Where's Harry Potter!?"

All kids stopped and stared at her. One of them tentatively pointed to the back of the room, where three teenagers were sitting. She stormed over, grabbed him by the tie, and barked, "My name is Mabel Pines! Me and you are going to be friends, okay!? Okay!" Then, happy that she had then completed at least one-half of her assignment, strode off to hug a certain pig. This left the Golden Trio sitting in pure shock and confusion (along with nearly all of the Gryffindors).

Finally, Ron spoke up. "Who the bloody heck was _that_?"

* * *

 **"** **Can you go to the store and get a quart of milk, a dozen eggs, and a** ** _friend?"_**

 **\- There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom** **pg. 29, by Louis Sachar**


	10. Chapter 10: Flying Frenzy

**Slightly longer chapter this time, with more of the Golden Trio. I don't know there characters as well as ones from Gravity Falls, but I think I did okay. Tell me in the comment section if I made them too OC or anything.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Flying Frenzy**

The next week and a half was dedicated to befriending Harry Potter. Mabel was determined to work her magical charm on the trio. She just hoped she wasn't being too forward.

Today she saw them at eating breakfast. Harry received a book from an owl and was using some sort of spell on it. Mabel saw this as a perfect time to build their friendship.

"HEYO!" she popped up behind them, making Ron jump and spill his pumpkin juice. "What's up, fam?"

Harry grimaced and rearranged his glasses. Hermione and Ron scooted away from Mabel, leaving Harry to fend for himself. He plastered on a smile and turned around, trying to be polite as possible. "H-hello Mabel."

"What'd ya have there?" she asked, pointing at his book. "Potion book?"

"Yes…"

"Cool! And look, it's brand new too! So smooth and shiny." She rubbed her hands on the cover, pretending to savor the feeling. "Soooooo…. I was wondering if you could help me with my homework? I am _super behind_ and I thought 'Hey! Who better to ask than the world's best underage wizard?'" Mabel actually couldn't care less about homework. She just wanted an excuse to bring him over.

"Er, I don't think so. I've got, uh, Quidditch tryouts. And studying is more of Hermione's thing. How about you go ask her?"

"Oh," her face fell. But just as quickly it lit up, "Well do you at least want to see my pig? His name is Waddles and he's super cute and—"

"Oh! Look at the time!" Harry exclaimed. "I am late for Quidditch tryouts!" He stood up and hastily collected his things. This unfortunately didn't deter Mabel at all.

"I'll come with you then!" She helped gather his things and smiled hopefully at him. Harry groaned inwardly, wondering if there was any way to ward off this persistent second year (or was it first year? Honestly Harry was too afraid to ask). Thankfully, Hermione came to his rescue.

"Honestly, let Harry be!" Hermione has become increasingly annoyed of this girl since the moment she 'introduced' herself. Out of all of Harry's admirers, Mabel has been the most annoying and persistent. She has been berating Harry nonstop for the past week and a half, and Hermione just _knew_ it was only because of his fame. "Harry isn't the only boy in the school, you know."

Mabel finally got the hint (or at least, she thought she did). She had suspected that Hermione had a _thing_ for Harry, but this was a nail in the coffin for her. Mabel winked knowingly and backed off, "Don't worry girl, I understand." She turned around to say bye to Harry, but he was already long gone with Ron. Mabel's everlasting smile faltered for a second, "It's alright. I've got classes anyway."

Hermione motioned Mabel to go away and ran to catch up to her friends. "Can you believe her?" she huffed, "She's only after you because you were right about Voldemort."

"You really think so?" Harry asked.

"I know so. Everyone is doing it. Why do you think there are so many people trying out for Quidditch this year? They're _interested_ in you. You proved the whole Ministry wrong and now they're calling you the _Chosen One._ They find you fascinating."

Ron shrugged, "Either way, that girl is bloody annoying. She's been trailing us around all week!"

"She sets me on edge," Harry agreed. "You never know where she's going to pop up. And she rambles about _everything!_ Like, just now she asked me if I wanted to see her pet pig."

Ron laughed in disbelief. "A pet pig? Is she mad?"

"She sure acts like it," he grumped, "The way she clings onto us…"

"You'd think her life depended on it!" Ron joked.

Their conversation trailed off into other things as they walked. Things like the Ministry and Stanly Shunpike (who was apparently arrested for being a suspected Death Eater). Eventually, they reached the field. Harry examined the massive group of attending students, surprised to see so many. He knew there would be a lot, but… _this was a lot._ He scanned the crowd, happy to some familiar faces, including Katie Belle and Ginny Weasley. But if there was one person he was _not_ happy to see, it was Mabel.

"Mabel? What are you doing here?"

Mabel's head shot up. In her hands was an old broom obviously borrowed from the school, which she was currently trying to wrestle into submission. She gave Harry a brace-filled grin. "Hi Harry! You're the Captain of the team!? How crazy is that! I definitely didn't know that before, or anything."

Harry groaned and rubbed his eyes, making his glasses go askew. Before he could say anything, he was interrupted by two rowdy students who were fencing with their beaters, leaving Mabel alone with her broom.

The elder twin thought back on what happened. On her way to her class, she overheard some students talking about Harry being the captain of the Quidditch team. Naturally, Mabel tuned in. This was a perfect opportunity to strengthen their friendship! After all, teammates bond very quickly. And Mabel had always enjoyed sports. She had a knack for them. How hard could Quidditch be?

Mabel held out her hand and yelled 'up!' The broom instantly shot into her palm. Now the hard part: flying.

Her fear of heights was a fairly new thing. It had just developed over the summer. Though she had been able to disregard that fear in desperate times of need, the thought of floating in the air on a thin stick still left an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

She clenched her fists in determination. She was _Mabel Pines._ She parachuted out of Shacktron, for crying out loud! She can handle flying on a dummy broomstick. And besides, it would be _really cool._

The Pines girl took a deep breath and swung a leg over the broom. Once she was securely seated, she closed her eyes and hesitantly raised her feet off the ground. When nothing happened, she opened an eye. A huge grin spread across her face. Mabel Pines was _hovering._

Her plan was to teach herself how to fly before Harry called her up for tryouts. Her previous lessons with Madame Hooch taught her nothing, as Mabel was quite unwilling to participate at the time. But now she wanted to participate very much.

Mabel took a deep breath and kicked off the ground. She flew upward at an alarming speed. Mabel yelped and turned the nose of her broom sharply, leveling the broom out. Her knuckles whitened when she saw how high she was, but didn't let it deter her (she was put into Gryffindor for a reason, after all).

Nobody payed much attention to flying girl—she wasn't the only kid up in the air. Mabel tentatively steered her broom left and right, up and down, until she got the hang of it. Laughing and yelling, she zipped around the field with surprising dexterity and speed. And it was awesome! She was no longer Mabel Pines, she was speed. She was lighting. She was a dashing blur with flair! She was—

"Look out!"

"AAAUUGH!"

 _Crash!_

—she was on the ground.

The girl lay on her back, both legs up in the air. Stars danced above her head as she groaned in pain. _"Ooohh…._ That really hurt."

Harry pushed his way through the crowd of gathering spectators. "What happened? Is everybody alright?" Two figures were sprawled in the grass. Harry covered his face and moaned. Of course, _of course_ it was _her._ Who else would cause such a collision? But still, they were hurt and he had to check on them. Harry knelt down and checked the boy—Jimmy Peakes. "He's out cold. We need to get him to the hospital wing."

"But he was in the middle of tryouts!" Ritchie protested.

"We just need to find someone else to try out for beater then!" Harry yelled back, harsher than he meant to.

"He was the last one!"

Mabel sat up, swaying slightly but otherwise feeling fine. She raised her hand. "I'm trying out!"

"You're trying out for beater?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes!" she picked up the fallen beater bat and shook all the stars from her head. "That's where you hit the balls, right?"

"And you're sure you're alright? Do you need the hospital wing?" Mabel didn't answer. She just mounted her broom and waited for instruction. Harry shook his head and told her to fly to the corner of the field and wait until he was ready. After he had designated someone to bring Jimmy to the hospital wing, he proceeded with tryouts.

Mabel turned out to be… surprisingly good. Obviously she lacked experience, but her speed, coordination, and agility was outstanding. She had a lot of potential. With a little bit of practice and instruction, she could become a very good beater. Harry later asked her how she was so fast, but she just grinned and told him _"I eat sugar straight out of the box."_

Harry reluctantly gave her the spot. Partly because she was the last one and all the others really sucked; but also in a strange way, Mabel almost reminded him of Fred and George.

As soon as Harry was out of sight, Mabel squealed and danced around. "I did it! I'm on Harry's team!" She looked at the other beater, Ritchie Coote, and stuck out a hand. "Mabel Pines, beater extraordinaire."

Ritchie grinned and shook the hand with exuberance. "Ritchie Coote, nice to meet ya. You're a bit young to be a beater, no?"

Mabel pouted. "Hey! I'm thirteen, so technically a teen!"

He raised his hands in defense, "Hey, don't take it offensively! I think it's impressive."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. It's hard being a beater."

Mabel smirked and leaned on her broom casually, feeling quite proud of herself. Before she could answer though, cheers rose from the stands. That red headed boy—Ron—just blocked a ball from going in the hoop, earning his spot as Keeper. Ron's contender was looming over Harry and they seemed to be having an argument. Just when Mabel thought he was going to punch Harry, he just grimaced and sulked away. Harry cleared his throat and faced his beaming team. "Well done," he croaked, "You flew really well—"

"You did brilliantly, Ron!" Hermione had rushed off the stands to congratulate Ron. Ron beamed at her and his new team, looking quite pleased. Harry dismissed them and started his way to Hagrid's.

Mabel waved goodbye to Ritchie and verbalized it to Harry. Harry didn't seem to hear her. Mabel was about to try saying goodbye to Harry again (louder this time) but realized she was late to her classes. "Oh snickerdoodle! McGonagall's gonna kill me!"

Mabel sprinted off the field. She still wasn't entirely sure what Quidditch was (and who knew what a Beater was supposed to do) but she felt happy to have gotten the part. And she felt as if she was one step further in becoming Harry Potter's friend.

* * *

 **"** **If it is important enough to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will find an excuse."**

 **\- Unknown**

* * *

 **OKAY! And before you kill me for putting Mabel in Quidditch, let me tell you how naturally AMAZING she would be. In Dipper and Mabel and the Curse of the Time Pirates' Treasure, she instantly mastered pod racing. Blendin said a child from our time period should be incapable of racing at the speeds she did, but Mabel mastered it on her FIRST TRY. Considering that, I think she'd be naturally good on a broom. And if she had a wee bit more practice, Mabel could be a literal master.**


	11. Chapter 11: Midnight Run

**I'm gonna update 24 hours earlier because school starts tomorrow. Granted, I've only got an hour of it, but I'm just excited to put this chapter up.**

 **Some of you were concerned about Dipper. I'm really sorry we don't get to see more of him (believe me, I LOVE torture fics so I understand the want) but this is really a Mabel-centered fic. And no, we don't see him in this chapter either, but we get a HUGE scene of him in the next update. So just wait one more week.**

 **But I've got a surprise! Stanley and Stanford show up here! Woohoo! I really enjoyed writing them, I just hope I did it right. Let me know in the comments if I kept them in character. We'll be seeing more of them later.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and support! Here's Chapter 11!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Midnight Run**

Stanford Pines' eyes lit up as his detector beeped. "We've got it! It's right here!" He turned sharply and faced a dingy little inn, labeled the Leaky Cauldron. He had to blink several times just to make sure it was real, for it was invisible to him moments before.

Stanley gaped, "Woah! How did we not notice that?"

"Must be the magic," he answered. He turned down and shuffled through his bag, trying to find the disguises. "Now stay vigilant. The spells will—"

"Hey Sixer, didya' see that bookstore over there? You like nerd stuff, right? We should take a look." He started walking away, a strange look on his face. Ford grabbed his arm harshly and pulled back.

"Focus! This was what I was saying. The magic will try to distract you."

"Distract me from what?" Stan asked confusedly, then he shook his head. "Agh! Right! The building. I… completely forgot about it, for a second there."

Ford nodded. Even to him, someone who has been exposed to anomalies for a much longer time than his twin, could feel the pull of magic on his brain. It goaded him to turn away and never look back. Why would he even want to go in an inn anyway? It looked dingy and small. The bookstore would be much better—

He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts. Ford pulled out the disguises and handed them to his counterpart. "Here, put these on. We don't want another incident like _last_ time."

Grunkle Stan pulled the pointed hat over his head, casting an ominous shadow over his face. Stanford had somehow acquired a long, billowy cloak and hood. Looking at it gave Stanley the same impression of when Ford stepped out of the portal. "Let's go." He stepped through the door and led the way inside.

For a magical place, it wasn't very impressive. It was dark and shabby, with a few tables and chairs pushed into corners. On the side, four old witches talked and drank small glasses of sherry. A wizard leaned against the wall, smoking a pipe and skimming over a newspaper. An old bald barman had his back turned to them, cleaning out glasses and humming a tune. A young wizard sat at a table, reading a book and stirring his cup without touching it. Dust and grime layered the floor, disrupted only by a few scruff marks.

Ford motioned for Stan to follow him. They made their way to the back, following the Anomaly Detector the entire way. It was blinking like crazy now, but it wasn't what they were looking for. They went past the bar, unnoticed by everyone in the room. Or perhaps no one found them interesting.

They turned a corner and came face-to-face with a brick wall. The detector started to buzz. Ford stuffed the device in his pocket and readied himself.

"Ya' sure this'll work?" Stan asked.

"Positive," Ford answered. "I have traveled across the multiverse, Stanley. I've dealt with demons and learnt the science behind anomalies. Wizards aren't the only ones with a few magic tricks." He held out a hand against the brick wall and started to chant. A soft glow emitted from his hand and grew between the cracks of the wall. It spread in a way that seemed to go on forever, but the light eventually hit an invisible barrier. It turned around and grew into itself, becoming a single rectangular block of blue light. Then, in a bright flash, the bricks within the light disappeared and became a hollow doorway. Stanford stepped back and smirked.

Stanley whistled, "Wow. Guess fifth time's the charm, eh Sixer?"

Ford rolled his eyes. "You've got your disguise on, right?"

"If you mean this pointy hat, then yes. I also brought a fake beard…"

"No fake beards."

"But—!"

"No." Ford stepped through the doorway and beamed at what he saw. Warm, bright shops lined the paved streets. Wizards and witches in long, dark robes traversed between them. The windows advertised cauldrons and potions and tentacles. Owls and the occasional broomstick zipped above the crowd. It definitely wasn't the most outlandish thing he had seen, but knowing that a magical community _this large_ existed on Earth was exhilarating. A whole new world for him to discover!

Stan stepped behind his brother, mouth gaping behind his fake beard. "Woah. Ever see anything like this?"

"Yes," he grinned, "But not here!" He pulled out his journal (a new one, mind you) and started documenting everything he saw. Stan yanked the journal away. "Hey—!"

"No research until we do what we came for," Stan said sternly. "Captain's orders."

Ford sighed and rearranged his glasses, "Yes, yes. You're right, sorry." He paused, "And just to be clear, you're only Captain between Monday and Wednesday!"

Stan ignored him and scouted the crowd with squinting, suspicious eyes; like a sailor staring out on open sea. He looked quite ridiculous, with his fake pointed beard and wizard's hat. He had no robe (they only found one) and just wore his regular sailor gear. But nobody spared them a second glance as they passed by. Perhaps abnormal was the usual here.

"So, where do we start?" Stan asked, "Which punk do I need to punch ta' get my nephew back?"

"I'm not sure," Ford said, "We don't know anything about this place yet. Before we start searching, we need to learn about it. Check its background, the history, the residents… You know, this would be a lot easier if we asked Mabel. Or better yet, the wizarding police."

Stan shook his head firmly. "Nah. Mabel… Mabel has been put through enough. And the police are useless. I don't trust 'em. This is up to us."

Ford nodded in understanding. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them, and the spark of excitement shone in his eyes once more. "Let's get to it then. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

* * *

"I need your help."

" _Haha_ … what?"

It was the first time Draco approached her since the Quidditch lesson. Mabel had been avoiding him as much as she could. He had basically told her that he bro-bro was better off dead. Draco, who had kept his eyes averted this entire time, raised them and glared. "Are you deaf? I need your assistance!"

Mabel crossed her arms, "After what you said about Dipper? No way!"

"Who the heck is Dipper?"

"My brother! The one _you_ said was better off dead! What makes you think I want to help you?"

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Ugh, whatever! Forget I said anything. I'll just go ask Crabbe and Goyle…"

Even though Draco was a poop-head, she still needed to work with him. Mabel grabbed his robe before he could leave. " _Fine_ , I'll help you. Tell me what you need."

The Malfoy boy smirked down at her, "That's more like it. Come with me."

"Right now?" she asked. All the students were on their way back to their dorms. He had caught her right before she headed back herself.

"Yes right now!" he snapped, "Come with me."

Mabel followed him away from her dormitory and deep into the castle. Over the weeks she has been there, Mabel Pines had gotten lost in multiple occasions. She had discovered a surprising number of rooms during those times (including a strange weapon's room and a haunted bathroom stall) but she had never seen these rooms. Eventually Draco led her to an abandoned classroom, deep within castle's walls.

"I need help with this," the boy gestured to a magnificent cabinet sitting against one of the walls… or, it would've been magnificent, if it weren't so broken.

Its rectangular form was squashed into a linea hexagon, as if it had been dropped from some great height. The bent wood in the middle jutted out in long, thin splinters. The paint was chipped and peeling, and the doors were cracking. Using her amazing perception skills, Mabel guessed what was wrong. "You need help fixing it."

 _"_ _No,_ I need help _moving_ it," he threw a sheet over the cabinet and pulled out his wand. "I found a safe room where I can do my work. I need help moving it there."

"Don't worry, I've got this!" she pulled out her own wand, "I learned the floating charm on my first day of school!"

"No! Not you!" he shouted hastily, "Put your wand back."

"But—!"

 _"_ _I'll_ be moving it. My magic is better than yours. I need you to keep watch and make sure no one is coming."

She perked up, "So like a secret spy mission?"

"Er, sure. Whatever. Do you know the tapestry with dancing trolls in tutus?"

"I _love_ that tapestry!" she exclaimed.

"Good. Walk ahead of me and scout out the trail. I can't afford to be caught."

Mabel saluted and sped off, determined to be the best look-out ever. Maybe if she could do this right, Draco would let her help him more?

Humming to herself, Mabel snuck through the halls. She hid behind tapestries, statues, doorways, even rugs. She used the naturally dark parts of her robes to integrate herself into the shadows. She lifted her robes like a cape and covered the lower half of her face, revealing nothing but her squinting eyes. _"I'm not the spy Draco deserves…. I'm the spy Draco needs."_

"What are you doing?" Mabel yelped and jumped backward. She saw Draco standing behind her with the hovering cabinet, looking very cross. "You're moving too slowly! I gave you a head start, and I still caught up to you!"

Mabel shrugged, "Maybe you're the one moving too quickly?"

Malfoy glowered. "I knew it was a mistake bringing you. Mudbloods can never do anything right."

"Oh yeah!? Well—!"

Whatever argument Mabel had in store, she never got to say. For at that very moment, Peeves the Poltergeist interrupted them. "Lookies what we have here!" he squealed in delight, "Two naughties sneaking out at night? Oh dear!"

Draco felt his stomach clench. _'No no! Not here! Not now!'_ He pulled out his wand. "Go away you little abomination!"

The chaos spirit grinned, "Oh, what is little Mr. Prefect doing so late at night? Draco Malfoy, the perfect Prefect! Sneaking out at night with the little Gryffindor girl! His father won't want to hear about this. No, not at all!"

Mabel tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. She knew Peeves from around the school. He was known for terrorizing students and throwing eggs at peoples' head. Plus, he was a total tattle-tale. She fingered her grappling hook from under her robes.

"And what's this?" he asked, pointing to the floating cabinet under the sheet. "What are you trying to hide from good old Peevey?"

"None of your business!" he hissed.

Peeves considered the floating sheet for a moment before turning away, evidently finding Draco and Mabel more interesting. "Is this a date? A late date? Draco Malfoy, dating a little Griffin-girl?"

Draco and Mabel looked at each other in pure disgust. Mabel shook her head quickly, "No way! I'd never date such a poop-head!"

Malfoy visibly shivered at the thought, "I'd rather go out with a _slug."_

The spirit seemed oblivious to their protests. He _tisked,_ "What should Peeves do? I should tell a teacher, oh yes I should. 'Tis the right thing to do…"

"Don't you dare—!"

"CHILDREN OUT OF BED!" in a flash, he turned around and flew down the halls, "NAUGHTY NAUGHTY STUDENTS SNEAKING OUT OF BED!"

Mabel grabbed Draco's hand. "C'mon!"

"But the cabinet—"

"Leave it!" The cabinet dropped to the floor with a _thunk. 'We'll come back later for it,'_ she thought. Draco stumbled over his feet trying to keep up with Mabel. He was already breathing heavy, and Mabel was still picking up speed. They ran down the halls, Peeves' screeching following close behind. Angry portraits along the walls woke up and glared at them as they passed. It felt a lot like being chased by Bill during Weirdmageddon. Endless dark hallways… angry screeches… eyes staring down at them from every direction…

Her heartbeat increased speed as an irrational panic took hold of her. _'The hallways…. We need to get out of the halls.'_

"We need to get out of the halls!" Mabel called back.

"What!?"

She took a sharp turn, nearly throwing Draco off of his feet. She could hardly hear his demands to slow down, for she was in high survival mode right now. She sprinted up the stairs. Just before they made it to the top it suddenly moved and changed directions. The wood creaked loudly as the stairs slowly transitioned from one floor to another.

"There's no time! We need to head back down!" Draco panted.

The Pines girl shook her head. "GRAPPLING HOOK!" She shot up and swung over open air. Draco screamed and clawed into her robes.

"What the—ARE YOU MAD!?"

They landed on stair opposite of their own. Mabel ran down it, two steps at a time. Just before they made it to the bottom Draco suddenly yanked his hand backward, making Mabel fall on her butt. She looked back and was horrified to see Draco's leg knee-deep in wood. He had stepped on the trickster stair—the one that sticks to your feet and sucks your legs through. He rested his hands on his knees, wheezing. Mabel clambered toward him and desperately yanked on his sleeves. "C'mon Draco! We need to go!"

"Shush!" he hissed. He put his finger to his lips and pointed to his ear, silently telling her to listen. She cocked her head and listened carefully. There was nothing. It was completely silent. Draco was the first to laugh. _"Hahahaha!_ I can't believe we _lost_ him!" The laughter was more hysterical than anything else, but it was relieving. Mabel joined in too.

"It was _amazing!"_ she agreed. She wasn't feeling quite as overwrought as Draco, but she was still sharing his excitement."Score for the Student Team!"

"And when we flew over the stairs… what was that? What did you use?"

She shook her grapnel, "Do you mean my _grappling hook?"_

He stared at it in silence, eyes wide, before snorting. "You are a complete loon."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Here they are!" they jumped and looked up. "The lovey-dovey students out of bed!" Peeves was floating at the top of the staircase, and to the right of him loomed the silhouette of one of the Professors. Even though his face was covered in shadows, Mabel could feel the glare penetrating their skin.

"I thought we lost them!" Mabel gasped.

"Well, obviously _not!"_

The Professor ascended the steps as Peeves flew off, cackling. The Professor was clearly in no rush. Each step sounded in slow, agonizing, clicks. When he was finally close enough to make out his face, both children groaned.

It was Professor Snape.

He looked over each of them with scrutinizing, lidded eyes. He raised an eyebrow at Mabel before frowning at Draco. "Get off of the floor, Draco." When Malfoy remained on the floor Snape grabbed his arm and hoisted him out of the step. "I said _up."_

Draco stumbled to his feet and silently stood next to Mabel.

The Professor raised his head, looking over his hooked nose. "And what, may I ask, is Ms. Pines doing up so late?"

Before Mabel could answer, Draco stepped in. "She's with me. The Dark Lord assigned her to me."

Mabel gasped and covered Malfoy's mouth, "Shush up! It's supposed to be a secret!" Malfoy growled and pushed Mabel away, making her stumble.

Snape raised both eyebrows, this time in genuine surprise. "The Dark Lord assigned a Muggle-Born to you…?" he turned on Malfoy, "Why was I not aware of this?"

Draco sneered and crossed his arms. "Because this is my mission, that's why! I don't need your help!"

"And yet you needed the help of Miss Pines," he drawled. Draco didn't answer. He just lifted his chin defiantly.

Mabel was staring in open-mouthed shock. "Professor Snape knows? Since when did _Snape_ know about the mission?" she asked aloud. Neither of them answered her question. They were too busy glaring daggers at each other. The silence was crippling. "Woah! Awkward silence! _Haha_ what?" Again, neither of them acknowledged her. She rocked on her feet absentmindedly, "Okay seriously. What is going on here."

Finally, Snape spoke. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for staying after hours. And whatever plans you two had tonight, you will now do it with me."

Later, Snape was floating the cabinet down the halls while two sullen students treaded behind him.

Draco had his eyes downcast, but in his mind he was shooting every hex and curse at the annoying Professor. This was _his_ mission. He didn't need Snape's help. Didn't Mother think he could do this? The schoolyear was still early; Draco had just begun. Why won't they give him a chance?

Unaware of the thoughts in Draco's mind, Mabel tried to break the awkward silence. "So, pretty lucky that it was Snape who found us, am I right? Any other Professor and we'd be in _big_ doo-doo." Draco's glare only deepened.

"I don't need your help anymore. I can do the rest."

Mabel grinned, "Wow, really? Thanks Draco!" She was quite tired and (though this night was fun) she _really_ needed to get back. Waddles is probably worried about her. She waved, "Bye Draco! See you tomorrow!"

Malfoy didn't answer. He just stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets and followed sullenly behind Snape.

* * *

 **"** **A close friend can become a close enemy."**

 **\- African Proverb (Ethiopian)**


	12. Chapter 12: Two Types of Magic

**Hey guys. So since I've gotten pretty far in now, I just wanted to check... are you guys enjoying this? Is this entertaining to you? I'm mainly writing this to improve my own skills, so if there's something you don't like or something I can improve on, go ahead and tell me. I'd appreciate it (so long as you're polite about it). Is the plot boring? I mean, I know it's slow. But is it boring? Let me know in the comments if you think I can improve somewhere.**

 **Anyway, we get to see Dipper here. I tried to keep him as in-character as possible, but he's been through a lot. Dipper is a bit different than when we last saw him. Let me know how you liked it. Hopefully I didn't make this chapter too cheesey.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Two Types of Magic**

Dipper pulled at his hair nervously and fiddled with the book's corner as he read. "Okay…. This sh-should work now."

Gravity Falls spells, twin bonds, the dreamscape, wizarding magic, and lots of research. It all played part in Dipper's plan to contact the outside world. During odd times of the day, Dipper had snuck off to the Malfoy library to read all that he could about magic. Most of them were about the crimes of Muggle-Borns or the history of the Dark Lord, and the rest were dripping with Dark Magic. But through hours of searching a reading (mostly when he was told to clean the library) he had finally found one about dreams and mind connection.

In the dusty ground Dipper had drawn a pentagram. At the tip of each point rested a stubby piece of wax with a string pulled through, somewhat resembling a candle. And in the center of it all, Mabel's pink headband. He took a breath and raised his wand, ready to say his self-made incantation.

 _"_ _BOOYYY!"_ Bellatrix's screechy voice echoed down the staircase and through the cellar door. Unbridled terror grasped at Dipper. He swept his robe through the dust and kicked the candles to the dark corners of the room. And, at the last minute, he stuffed the headband back into his pocket. The door swung open and light flooded the cellar. He flinched at the sudden light. Bellatrix stood at the doorway, feet apart and hands on her hips, head lowered in a glower. "Get off the floor, you filthy half-breed! Make yourself presentable!"

Dipper scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off, knowing better than to deny Bellatrix's demands. "Wh-what's the matter?" he stuttered.

"No speaking!" she ordered. She pulled out her wand and Dipper flinched harshly away, eyeing the stick wearily. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the stairs. The Pines boy gasped and struggled, both from the discomfort of being so close to his captor and to being led away from the safety of his cellar. Bellatrix scowled and jerked back harshly, making him stumble. "Stop your squirming!"

Breathing shallow and eyes wide, he nodded and obediently followed. _'This is so stupid,'_ he groaned inwardly, _'I'm such a wimp…'_ He was really glad none of his family was here to see him. He felt weak, giving in to Lestrange's commands like this. Stan would've growled and punched her in the face. Ford would have planted his feet stubbornly and refuse to move. And Mabel…. well, she would've escaped weeks ago, to be honest.

 _'_ _So what's wrong with me? Why can't I be strong?'_

Dipper scowled at his tormentor's back, full of shame and loathing but too scared to do anything. Besides, acts of rebellion would come to nothing. Dipper had learned that the hard way…

She yanked him up the stairs, hissing at him to keep up. Dipper struggled to match her long strides. Weeks ago, it would've been no problem. But now he just felt so… _tired._

He felt tired all the time. Hungry, too. But mostly tired. It was like all of his energy was sapped. He figured it had something to do with his constant state of paranoia, but it felt more than that. The only thing that kept him hopeful was his little project in the basement. If he could get it to work… if his research proved correct….

Well, let's just say it could improve Dipper's position.

They finally reached the top of the stairs. She shoved him forward, "Take out your wand. Disarm me, _now."_

Dipper groped for his wand, and was grateful to find it still in his robes. He was half-afraid he left it downstairs. He leveled out his wand and prepared for the spell. _'Stop shaking, you idiot! You're not even scared!'_ He took a breath, "Expelliarmus!"

She deflected it with a flick of her wrist. "Pathetic."

"Expelliarmus!"

"Weak." She waved her own wand, and Dipper was soon disarmed. "You're a waste of time. I don't know why the Dark Lord is bothering with the likes of you. I could be doing _so_ many other things right now. WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE? Pick up you wand!" Dipper jumped and scrambled for his only defense. While his back was turned however, Bellatrix shouted "Crucio!"

Dipper didn't know why she did it. He didn't think he did anything to deserve it. Maybe she liked seeing people in pain. Maybe she was bored. Or maybe she was just crazy — It was likely all three. But at the moment, Dipper didn't care. Dipper grabbed his wand and spun around, and from the deep, panicked, folds of his mind, remembered a single spell from Journal 2. _"Scutum Protegens!"_

The spell was weak, the casting flimsy, and the kickback forced the wand from his hand. But it was enough. Blue light came from the tip of his wand and intercepted the blunt force of the invisible hex. He still felt the pain, but it was only a fraction of what he could've felt. When Dipper opened his eyes, he was on the ground. Bellatrix was standing there, her face taut with disbelief. _"How—!"_

"I'm sorry! Pl-please, I didn't mean to!" Dipper was shaking his head, begging for forgiveness, just this once. "It slipped!"

"That was a Cruciatus curse! How did you block it?"

"No. No! I swear, I didn't. I didn't." He hated how he sounded. He hated how scared he was. But using the wrong spell meant vicious punishment. And a made-up spell? A spell they didn't teach? Dipper didn't even want to _know_ the penalty for that. "I didn't. I didn't."

Bellatrix stood there for a few moments, observing the trembling boy. She had a cold, calculating look on her face, an expression that contrasted violently with her usual insane glint. "Back to your cell. Leave your wand."

Dipper nodded, all too happy to leave. He felt anxious about leaving his wand, but didn't dare argue. It unfortunately meant that he wouldn't be able to test his project downstairs, but maybe it was for the better. In fact, even if Dipper _did_ have his wand, he doubted he'd be able to perform any spell, considering his shot nerves. The twin quickly retreated down the stairs and into the safety of the cellar. The door swung closed behind him and locked magically.

Despite being alone, Dipper still felt a strange sense of dread on his stomach. That couldn't be all, could it? There must be more.

His dread went beyond the fear of punishment, though. There was something else bothering him. It was the look of pure shock on Bellatrix's face, followed by cold calculation. It made his insides squirm. Dipper felt like he had just made a very grave, grave mistake.

* * *

"Draco and the Gryffin-Girl sneaking in the dark! Going on a late-date but Peeves gets them caught!" Peeves sang as he flew over students' heads. "First comes the love! Then comes the marriage! Then comes the baby in the ba-by carriage! _"_

Harry squinted up at Peeves. "What's that all about?"

Ron shrugged, "I dunno."

"That's not all! Here comes the baby playing with the Quid-ditch ball!" the chaos spirit flew down the halls, his gloating voice echoing against the walls. Draco heard the song and silently cursed at the Poltergeist. Crabbe and Goyle lumbered behind him. They had no idea of the events that took place last night, and were just as confused as the rest of the school. He ignored their questioning stares and instead focused on Harry.

"Oi, is that you Potter?" Draco jeered, "I can hardly recognize you without your crooked nose. What happened to that? It matched your scar perfectly." Crabbe and Goyle chortled as if it was the funniest thing in the world. At the beginning of the school year, on the train station, Malfoy had broken Harry's nose and he had been using it to make fun of Harry for weeks now.

Potter turned and smirked at Draco. Malfoy's jab didn't bother Harry this time, for he had a retort, "What was that song Peeves was singing? Sounds to me like you were snogging with a Gryffindor."

Malfoy's ears burned. That ruddy ghost! He most definitely was _not_ snogging with the Pines girl. He laughed humorlessly. "I knew you and your friends were stupid, Potter. But never _this_ stupid. Do you actually believe him? I would _never_ affiliate myself with a blood-traitor."

Before Harry could answer, Pansy Parkisten, Draco's girlfriend, stormed through the crowd and grabbed Malfoy by his tie. _"You cheated on me!?"_ she screeched.

He gasped and stumbled back, unprepared for such an assertion. A group of Slytherin girls stood behind Pansy, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. He shook his head quickly, "N-no! I swear, I didn't—!"

She pushed him backward, tears welling up in her eyes. "Am I honestly worth less than one of those horrible Gryffindors?"

Draco threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "I wasn't snogging _anyone!_ That filthy poltergeist was _lying!_ Honestly, how are any of you stupid enough to believe him?" A harsh slap was delivered to his unexpecting cheek. He tenderly touched the mark with wide eyes, still processing what happened. Pansy raised her chin haughtily before storming off, the group of girls following her. He reached for her uselessly, "Wait—! Pansy—!"

But she had already disappeared into the crowd, leaving Draco alone. All the students had made a wide circle around him, whispering things behind their hands. Even Crabbe and Goyle — who were usually right beside him—edged into the ring of the circle, not wanting to be the center of negative attention. Potter and Weasley were doubled over in silent laughter. He cursed and turned the other direction, shoving his way through the horde. "Out of my way! Move aside!" he growled, making a few students fall to the floor — not that he cared. It was all that stupid ghost's fault! Peeves didn't belong in this school anyway. Malfoy should've had him removed years ago! "I'll be telling my father about this—!" his threat fell short, as he suddenly remembered that he couldn't tell his father _anything._ Fists clenching and unclenching, he finally broke free from the still-gathering crowd and stalked away.

 _'_ _Great,'_ he thought bitterly, _'now even_ Pansy _is against me.'_ He and Pansy had been together since his first year. Some of his fondest memories were made with her. Riding in the train together. Making fun of Potter together. Singing 'Weasley is our King' together. Being chosen as Prefects together.

And when he was put in the Hospital Wing because of the bloody hippogriff? She was the one that showed the most concern, fawning over him and making sure he was alright. He smiled fondly at the memory, before frowning again. He'd have to explain to her what happened… without telling her telling her what happened. The Dark Lord ordered him not reveal his mission to anyone. But surely, Pansy would understand.

Mabel interrupted his thoughts. She was on her way to Quidditch practice when she saw him grumping down the hallway. Unfortunately for her, she had no idea what just happened. "Hey Draco!" He didn't answer. He just rolled his eyes and turned the corner, entering an empty hallway. Mabel followed, "Woah! Someone looks cranky! You know what the perfect cure for that is? A _smiiiile!"_ She stuck a sticker on his nose and laughed, "Boop!"

Draco, who was already in a cranky mood, ripped it off and threw it in her face. "Leave me alone, you miserable child!"

"I prefer the term, _adorable child_." she said, her mood not dampened at all. "So what's the plan?"

"What are you talking about?"

"For our, you know," she leaned in close and whispered, _"Secret mission?"_

His eyes widened as he slapped a hand over her mouth. Glancing around to make sure nobody heard, he lead her into an empty classroom and shut the doors. "What did I tell you about talking about that?"

"What's the matter?" she asked confusedly, "No one was in the halls."

Malfoy glared, "It doesn't matter! I don't want you talking about it at _all!_ In fact, I don't want you talking to _me_ at all! Last night was a one-time deal. I don't _need_ your help."

Mabel frowned, "Woah. Someone here is a real grump-grump this morning."

"Yes, well, that tends to happen when your girlfriend—" he stopped suddenly, realizing something. He turned around, his eyes burning with hatred, "It's all _your_ fault! It's _your_ fault we were caught by Peeves! You were supposed to be keeping a look out, but _you_ were too busy messing around!"

Mabel shrugged helplessly, unsure why Malfoy was so mad. "So? It's over right? Professor Snape took care of everything."

Draco clenched at his wand, "You can never take anything seriously, can you!? You're just one big, fat, silly, _joke._ I bet that's what got your stupid brother caught in the first place."

Mabel's cheeks flushed, and her eyes looked to the floor. _"Not true,"_ she mumbled. Draco grinned, knowing he hit a weak spot. He instantly took advantage of it.

"I bet the only reason the Dark Lord let you live is because he felt _sorry_ for you. You're far from home, no friends, no family, no money…. even saintly _Potter_ seems put off by you. Imagine that! Being so different that even Potter's rag-tag band of misfits won't accept you. Funny though, I thought you'd fit right in… The poor, the Mudblood, and the orphan. You can be the replacement for when Longbottom and Luna aren't around! You nearly match their level of stupidity and craziness." He took a breath at the end of his rant. It felt good to yell at something, to let all of his anger out. He smirked and straightened, waiting for his victim's reaction.

Mabel listened to his words, empty eyes staring at the floor. Then, slowly and carefully, she raised them, "…okay. I am really sorry you feel that way, Draco. I was… I was just trying to help you. But if you don't want any help then that's fine. I'll leave." Eyes red, she turned away and walked out of the room, dragging her Quidditch gear behind dejectedly. The door swung closed with a _creak._

Draco sniffed, trying to ignore the uncomfortable sensation in his chest. "Good riddance. It's her fault that Pansy's mad at me anyway." He stared at the door for a little while longer before shaking his head, a half-scowl on his face. He began searching his bag, "Now where is my wand…? I need to conjure up some flowers for Pansy."

* * *

If Harry had a watch, he'd surely be checking it. "Where is she?" he mumbled, "Practice started fifteen minutes ago."

"I told you it was a mistake recruiting her," Ron grinned, jabbing him in the ribs playfully.

Harry stepped back and rubbed his side. "She's been getting better," he defended half-heartedly. "Nearly knocked Ritchie off of his broom last week."

"I still think she's mental," he replied. "A complete loon. She sure makes practices interesting, though."

Harry snorted softly through his nose before having the impulse to check his imaginary watch again. He looked up at his team, who were doing tepid broom exercises and stretches. Harry clapped his hands, getting their attention. "Okay, listen up! I'm going to look for Mabel. The rest of you, just do the usual exercises until I get back."

"But I've got no-one to practice with!" protested Ritchie.

"Err, try knocking everyone off their brooms then. They don't have enough practice with dodging bludgers. Don't hit them too hard, though."

Ritchie Coote grinned. "All right…. All right! Sure, whatever you say Potter. You're the boss." He excitedly mounted his broom and headed for the skies. Everyone else was notably less ecstatic, but did what they were told. Ginny in particular was the most disappointed, as Harry promised to teach her some new moves that day.

Potter dumped his gear and began his long search in the castle. He first checked the Gryffindor common room. When he didn't see her there he tried the library. When she wasn't there he started asking around. Harry wasn't sure who Mabel's friends were but he was sure that she had many — she was a very sociable girl after all. Surely _someone_ would know where she was.

That's why it was so surprising to Harry when he learned hardly _anyone_ knew who Mabel Pines was. Some of the first and second years recalled a loud and strange girl attending their classes, but not much else.

He was about to give up when he heard sniffling from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. This wasn't unusual, the ghost girl was quite prone to crying. But to Harry's surprise Myrtle was leaning against the doorway with a pouty look on her face. "Hello Harry," she greeted.

"Myrtle!" Harry said, "What are you—"

"There's a girl in there. She won't stop crying and she won't leave either," Myrtle lamented. "She won't talk to me—something about Sweater Town. But no one ever talks to _me_ , anyway. Nobody ever talks to poor Moaning Myrtle. No, they just like to sit in my cubicle and _laugh_ at me. I have half a mind to chase her out. It's _my_ bathroom, anyway…"

He sensed a meltdown from the ghost soon, so he cut right to the chase. He was already late for Quidditch and he needed to find Mabel quickly. "Myrtle, the girl crying, does she have long brown hair and braces?"

"Well," she sniffed, "How am I supposed to know? She won't even look up at me!"

"Myrtle, please. Does she or does she not have long brown hair?"

The ghost shrugged, "I suppose. It's brown and it's long. But that's not very specific—"

"Thank you Myrtle!" he went around Myrtle, careful not to walk through her, and into the bathroom. He heard sniffling from one of the stalls. He knocked on the door, "Mabel? Is that you?"

A moment of silence, then a muffled voice. "Harry? Wh-what are you doing in the girls' bathroom?"

Harry grinned in relief, recognizing the voice. "I heard you crying. Are you okay?"

"Of _course_ she isn't okay," Myrtle stated obviously. "She's _distressed_."

The Chosen One ignored the ghost. He knocked on the door again, "Mabel, is it okay if I come in?" she didn't answer, but she didn't say 'no' either. After a few moments, he announced "I'm coming in," and pushed the door open slowly.

Mabel was sitting on the toilet seat, red eyes peering over the brim of her sweater. Her arms and legs were retracted inside the sweater, leaving her sleeves limp. Her robe had slipped off of her shoulders and was draped over the toilet. Quidditch gear lay in a clump on the floor. Myrtle peered over Harry's head in morbid interest, _"Ooooooh,_ she looks very distraught."

He frowned in annoyance at Myrtle before shaking his head. He straightened and entered the cubicle, "Mabel, I didn't see you at Quidditch. Where were you?"

"You're very bad at comforting people, aren't you Harry?" the ghost giggled.

 _"_ _Shut up,"_ he mumbled.

Myrtle took offense to that. She floated upward and her eyes glowed, _"Don't you tell me to shut up Harry Potter!"_

"You're right! You're right! I'm sorry," Harry said quickly. "I'm just… trying too — Err, Mabel. Why are you crying?"

Mabel had come out of her sweater at this point. She was sitting on the seat with her legs hanging over the wet, tiled floor. She sniffed but forced a smile, "It's okay. I'm fine now."

"No, clearly you're not. Were you bullied? Got some assignment you forgot about?"

"Well," she started, "There's this boy—"

"Oh, It's always a boy," Myrtle said spitefully. Harry motioned for her to be quiet.

"There's this boy. And he's being a total jerk to me. I mean," her eyes started to water, "I was trying to be nice, you know? And we need to work together anyway… and if I don't help something re-really bad will happen and—"

"Like a school assignment?" Harry asked. Mabel gave him a questioning look. "You know, like a school assignment? Were you paired up together, or something? And he's being uncooperative?"

Mabel was about to shake her head, but then decided against it. She nodded slowly, "Yeah, a school assignment. But he's being really, really _jerky_ about it. He keeps calling me names and yelling at me and… today, I told him I won't help him anymore. But I need to help him because if I don't—" she broke off covering her face. Harry patted her back in sympathy. Myrtle placed a cold, transparent hand on her right forearm, but Mabel flinched away harshly.

"He sounds like a git, but don't blame yourself for standing up to him. Besides, what goes around comes around," Harry smiled reassuringly, "For example, today Draco—another git—got slapped by his girlfriend because Peeves saw him with a Gryffindor girl."

Mabel looked up, suddenly interested. "Draco… Malfoy?"

Harry nodded, "See, all bullies get what's coming to them. You did the right thing, telling that guy off. If he keeps bullying just go tell a Professor, I'm sure they'll pair you up with someone else." Mabel nodded slowly, deep in thought. She wiped the tears from her eyes and played absentmindedly with her hair. But she was no longer crying. "Are you feeling better?" Harry asked.

Mabel nodded again and smiled gratefully. "Lots better. Thank you Harry."

"Alright," he helped her stand up, glad he cheered her up so fast. He collected Mabel's gear and led her out of the bathroom. "Let's get back to Quidditch, eh? Bye Myrtle!"

Myrtle flew after them, disappointed that they were leaving so fast. She waved back, "Bye Harry Potter! Please visit again."

Mabel walked beside Harry, wiping her face and trying to vanish all evidences of sadness. She suddenly stopped and wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks for helping me, Harry. I _really_ needed it."

Potter smiled awkwardly and patted her on the back. He wasn't too weirded out though (Mabel was prone to outburst of affection). "Err, your welcome? Just doing my job as Captain." _And Prefect,_ he added in his mind. Mabel broke away from the hug and skipped down the hall, back to her perky self. In a strange way, Harry was relieved. It wasn't right to see such an optimistic person cry.

Mabel showed at Quidditch practice only thirty minutes late.

* * *

 **"** **Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,**

 **Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron**

 **Can be retentive to the strength of spirit."**

\- Shakespeare


	13. Chapter 13: Letters and Nightmares

**Hey! I'm back. Don't worry, I'm still alive, still updating, and still fine. It's just the last week has been hectic. School started and we went on a trip to Yellowstone and I also got sick. So I wasn't able to update on our usual Wednesday. But since today is so close to next Wednesday I won't be updating next week either. So...**

 **PLEASE READ.**

 **NEXT UPDATE!: THE NEXT UPDATE WON'T BE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 27**

 **But don't worry.** ** _After the 27th our updating schedule will return to normal._** **This is just so I can get ahead in my writing and you won't have to wait for months for a chapter. Believe me, it'll be better for everybody in the long run.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! I always get so excited when someone does that. Thank you so much to DiepVuongFaller for your input. And Guest (#2)'s review left me especially happy.**

 **And some of you wanted Mabel to meet Luna. Since I think that'll be totally awesome too, I'll try to arrange that. But it'll probably be several chapters in the future, so you'll have to be patient. And also just to clear things up, Draco does have a girlfriend. Pansy isn't shown much in the movies but she's definitely there in the books. I was originally not going to have her in the chapter, but I added her last minute for consistency's sake.**

 **But anyway I'll stop wasting you time and let you read the chapter.**

 **AGAIN! CHAPTER 14 WILL NOT BE POSTED UNTIL THE 27th! AFTER THAT OUR SCHEDULE WILL RETURN TO NORMAL!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Nightmares and Letters**

Mabel woke up in a grey room. It was devoid of color and… well, everything really. You couldn't even call it a room. It had no walls or floors. It was just an empty, grey, blank void. Which was really weird. When Mabel dreamed, it usually had a bit more _color_ in it. Even her nightmares had—

"Mabel?"

 _'_ _Wait, was that…'_ she turned around. A relieved, watery smile washed over her face. "Dipper!"

Dipper started running toward her, with a huge smile that mirrored her own. _"Mabel!"_

The Pines girl ran to her counterpart, the feeling of joy overwhelming her senses. She had her arms open for a hug she desperately needed. Suddenly, Dipper's expression contorted into horror. He reeled back, trying to get away from her, "Wait! _Don't—!"_

Mabel couldn't stop herself in time, for she was already in the act. As soon as her arms touched her brother, he disappeared into vapor, leaving Mabel groping at mist. Her expression was full of heartbreak.

 _"_ _Dipper?"_

She sat up in her sheets, now awake. Her arms were still out in front of her, as if reaching for something. With great effort, she lowered them to her sides. She stared blankly into the darkness, unsure how to feel. Not sure if she wanted to feel.

It was just a dream — no, a nightmare. She never had one like _that_ before.

Slowly, she lay back down in her bed. She brought up her covers and closed her eyes.

Mabel didn't fall back asleep.

* * *

Mabel sat at the breakfast table across Harry. He had been growing more and more comfortable with Mabel's presence since she had joined the Quidditch team, and after yesterday's incident her strange personality didn't even bother him anymore. In fact, he kinda liked it. Ron and Hermione didn't think much of her though.

Mabel absentmindedly picked at her food, her thoughts everywhere but present. Last night's nightmare was…. weird. She was used to having nightmares, but it was the first one of that type. Was the stress of her mission finally catching up on her?

 _…_ _.nah._ She was good. Mabel was feeling fine. Yesterday had certainly stressed her out because she thought all chances of getting on good terms with Draco were ruined. But then it all made sense! He was just mad because he got in a fight with Pansy, which was a huge _relief._ Luckily for Malfoy, Mabel was the _master_ at match-making! She'd have the whole mess sorted out in a jiffy. It'd be easy as pie.

Screeches came from overhead, and owls flew in. Students looked up expectantly as letters and owls dropped from above. Flappers landed next to her plate with two letters tied to his ankle. Mabel hugged him, "Flappers! Aww, I was wondering when you'd come! Are Mom and Dad treating you alright? How about Stan and Ford?" The owl just hooted and held out his leg impatiently, as if to tell her to stop hugging and start reading. Mabel took the two letters and opened them up.

The first one was from her parents. It was a letter about how much they missed and loved her. They wanted her to come home and were really worried about Dipper. It also asked about how she liked her school and if she made any new friends. A pang of homesickness shot through Mabel. She had hardly seen her parents all year. She spent her entire summer and Gravity Falls and now her entire Schoolyear and Hogwarts. She _really_ missed her parents.

Mabel shook her head and stuffed her nostalgia away. She couldn't worry about that now, she had a job. The twin folded her letter carefully and placed it inside her robes, next to her wand. The other note was from Grunkles Ford and Stan.

 ** _Heya sweetie! Just writing a letter from your good old Grunkle Stan! And Ford's here too. He's sitting right behind me, watching me like a hawk. Yeesh. It's just a letter. Sixer's telling me to stop writing about him. Now he's glaring at me. He should really loosen up a biT~_**

 _Greetings Mabel. This is your Grunkle Ford writing now. How is school? Are you enjoying it? Making new friends? Remember, if any of them treat you badly, the elbow is the hardest part of the body._

 _On a more serious note, are you boding well without Dipper? If not you can come home to your parents anytime. We'll be there, visiting frequently. Not all the time though. We have deemed the Aurors inadequate for missing cases and we are taking matters into our own hands. We've begun—oh, Stanley wants to write now._

 ** _What Sixer means to say is that the cops are total puffed-up yahoos who don't even dust for fingerprints. We've finally broke into the wizard place and now we're looking for Dipper ourselves. Haven't found much yet, but at least we're doin' something._**

 ** _…_** ** _.. what we're trying to say please hang in there pumpkin. I know it's tough losing your brother but we'll get him back for ya. Don't worry about a thing. Me and Ford will take care of it._**

 _It's Ford and I. And yes, please don't worry about Dipper. I've been across the multiverse and I know a thing or two. We'll get Dipper back. But on a happier note, one of Stan's employees sent in a picture from Gravity Falls. They caught a Plaidapus and thought you would like it. :)_

At the bottom of the letter was a taped picture of Wendy holding a Plaidapus by its tail. She was smiling and giving her a thumbs up. Next to her stood Soos, who was giving the creature bunny-ears on its butt. Scrawled in permanent ink across the bottom were the words **'Hang in there Dude!'**

"What's that?" Mabel looked up and saw Hermione wrinkling her nose at the Plaidapus. "That can't be real."

Mabel grinned, "It's called a Plaidapus! They're really cute beaver-ducks with plaid instead of fur."

Hermione stared for a bit before shaking her head. "No, that can't be real. There's no such thing."

Mabel shrugged, not really caring if she believed her or not. "It's _sooooo_ cute. Look at its little legs!" she gushed. Hermione only sighed and shook her head again, turning her attention to the two boys in front of her.

"I'm telling you Ron, he's up to something!"

Ron rolled his eyes, "Ugh, this again."

"I'm being serious. I think Draco's got something planned and we're being idiotic by ignoring him."

"Look mate," he held his hands out in front of him, "I've got no doubt he's up to something. It's just you think he's a bloody Death Eater! It's a little hard to take you seriously when your ideas are totally bonkers."

Mabel slid in between them, now suddenly very interested. _"Heeeyyy,_ whatchy'all talking about? Sounds like some crazy biz is going up in here!"

Ron and Harry jumped a bit, having totally forgotten that she was there. They fumbled around as if they were caught in a lie. Ron's ears turned red as he mumbled something along the lines of 'forget about it' before turning back to his breakfast. Harry appeared sheepish, avoiding eye contact and muttered half-formed excuses. Nobody but Hermione was supposed to hear their conversation; it was private. Mabel frowned, "You know what? You've all been way too stressed lately! This calls for something fun!"

Ronald Weasley shook his head quickly, making his flaming red hair shake everywhere. "No! Uh, no. Way too much homework. Simply overloaded. Right Harry?"

The Chosen One had a thoughtful look on his face. Lessons with Dumbledore _have_ been stressful. And between homework, Snape's classes, Quidditch, and investigating Draco, he hasn't had much time to enjoy the simple things in life, like 'fun' and 'entertainment.' He rested his elbows on the table and shrugged. "Actually, I can use a bit of fun. What were you thinking Mabel?"

Ron gaped at his friend while the Pines girl grinned. " _Weeeelllll,_ since you seem so interested, I was thinking of…. _drumroll please….._ A Midnight Sneak-Out! It'd be fun! Opening random doors, exploring the castle… I even enchanted some glitter bombs to sparkle up the classrooms!" It also meant less sleep for her, which meant less nightmares. But she didn't say that aloud.

"No, absolutely not." Hermione stated firmly, "We're Prefects. We can't go sneaking out at night anymore."

Harry made a face, "Besides, I've done enough sneaking around the castle to last a lifetime. What if we went to the Kitchens? We haven't been there in ages!"

Ron perked up, "Yeah! That sounds fun! We can visit the Kitchens!"

"You know how I feel about the Kitchens!" Hermione protested. "It's absolutely awful."

"But we can visit Dobby," Harry begged. "I've got some socks from Uncle Vernon that I need to get rid of. He'd be happy to see us."

"Okaaayyyy," Mabel interrupted, "Maybe it's because I'm new here but I've got _no idea_ what you're talking about."

"Oh! Right!" Potter turned to his Beater and tried to explain. "The Kitchens are where all the food is made. It's run by house elves and the food there is brilliant. Plus, one of my friends work down there and I haven't seen him in a really long time."

"So we'll be eating magic food? I _love_ magic food!"

"Alright then! It's settled. We'll be going to the Kitchens tonight so that we can… err, ease our stress levels."

"Which is incredibly healthy for our health," Ron assured. "Really, it's for the better."

"Right," Harry turned to his second friend, "'Mione, you coming?"

She shook her head distastefully, "No, not to the Kitchens. Sorry, but no. You three can go, and I won't feel very sorry if you get caught!" she gathered her stuff and went to sit somewhere else, probably by Ginny or Luna. Mabel frowned in genuine concern.

"Is she okay?"

"Aww, don't worry," Weasley assured her, "She's fine. Just doesn't like the Kitchens very much, that's all."

"It's settled then," Harry smiled excitedly. "Tonight, we go the Kitchens!"

* * *

"Why do you have a pig?"

They were right behind the Fat Lady, getting ready to leave. It was late at night and everyone was asleep. The lights were out and the windows shadowed with rain, illuminated with only the occasional lightning streaks. The only source of light was their wands and the fireplace, which was enchanted to stay lit. There was a student asleep on the sofa, surrounded by parchment and textbooks; some late-night homework she never got to finish. Ron was in his pajamas, Harry had his invisibility cloak, and Mabel—for some odd reason—had a pig.

"Because he was lonely," she explained, clutching the swine tightly. "And besides, Waddles will make this four times as fun!"

Ron snorted, "Oh yeah. Take a pig to the kitchens, that's a great idea."

Mabel ignored the comment. "So we going super-stealth mode?" she asked, lifting up her robes. "Last time I went out Peeves caught me."

"Well," Harry smirked and disappeared under his cloak. "I guess you can call it 'secret-stealth mode.'"

"Woah! Invisible wizard!" Mabel exclaimed.

"It's an invisibility cloak," Ron boasted. "Incredibly rare. Got us out of more than one sticky situation. No one will catch us with this thing on."

Waddles jumped out of her arms and snuffed the cloak curiously. Mabel took the cloak and wrapped it around her upper body, exposing only her legs. " _Oooooh! I am the haunted dancing legs! And I am here to dance you… to DEATH!_ From fun the amount of fun you're having! _Because it'll be so painful…._ From laughing!"

"Hilarious," Harry said drily. "Now give it back. At this rate we'll never make it to the Kitchens."

"Wait, wait, one more." She wrapped it around her stomach, making it disappear. _"Haha!_ Woah! Now I'm like Dipper!" her voice deepened as she wiggled her invisible stomach, _"I dunno how much food you've got in the kitchen, but I don't think it can fill me up!_ I guess you can say I've got a… _bottomless stomach?"_ She elbowed Ron in the ribs, who snorted in half-amusement.

"We are going to wake up the entire House with this racket!" Harry hissed, gesturing to the sleeping student who adjusted in her sleep, making the papers slide off. He grabbed the robe and put it over his head, lifting a corner so that they could see him. "Get in."

Ron ducked under with Harry. Mabel grabbed Waddles and did the same. They opened the Fat Lady portrait and snuck out the crack. The painting snorted awake and looked around groggily. "What? Who's there?"

Mabel snickered but Ron shushed her. It was hard keeping two grown boys, a girl, and a pig under one cloak, but they somehow managed. Eventually, they reached the portrait of fruit. Harry threw off his cloak and tucked it beneath his arm. "Okay, now we need to tickle it."

"Ooh! I call it!"

"Wait—!"

With no hesitation, Mabel jabbed her fingers into the portrait and displayed her expert tickling skills. Sadly, there was no reaction. "Was it supposed to do something, or…?"

"You're supposed to tickle the pear," Ron said. He tickled the pear and it started squirming and chuckling. After a few loud laughs, it transformed into a green door handle. Mabel's mouth fell open.

"Woah! Secret passageway! My Grunkle has one of those."

Ron and Harry exchanged strange looks before shaking their heads. Ron opened the door and bowed dramatically to Harry, "Ladies first." Harry laughed and shoved Ron into the entrance, which Ron responded with an elbow jab. They disappeared into the hole, sounds of horseplay echoing lightly against the walls, leaving Mabel behind. Not wanting to be the third wheel, she hefted Waddles through the door and pushed him forward.

"Wait for me!" she called out. She clambered over the side and closed the door, leaving no evidence of their being.

Unfortunately for them, no one noticed the cat sitting at the end of the hallway, watching their every move.

* * *

 **"** **It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."**

 **-Olivia Cunning**


	14. Chapter 14: Jokeshop

**Thank you so much for being patient guys! In that time off I was finally able to finish chapter 16 and start up on 17! Man, you guys are** ** _really_** **close. I need to pick up on my writing pace. Guess I better find my motivation again.**

 **But guess what! This fanfiction has reached its 100 page mark! Woohoo! You are now officially reading an ongoing fic over 100 pages. Wow. Wish I had written a book over 100 pages. But nonetheless you'll reach the hundred page mark in Chapter 16.**

 **I got a lot of nice reviews last chapter and I wanna thank y'all for that. Every review makes me so excited and worth the updates. I hope I can keep this interesting to you guys.**

 **Quick Disclaimer because I haven't really been doing those: I don't own Gravity Falls or Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: The Jokeshop**

"This is gettin' us nowhere."

Ford shot a glare in his brother's direction. "Perhaps if you helped me we could do this faster."

"Do what faster?" he stood up in his chair, hands held out exasperatedly. "We don't need ta' know the entire history of magic! We're wasting our time, reading these _books_ ," he spat.

"Well, it's certainly better wandering the streets. At least we're making progress." Even as he said this, Ford knew it was a lie. Days earlier, they had sent a letter telling Mabel not to worry, that everything will be fine. They would find Dipper and bring him back and everything would be fine. That's what they told her.

And yet they were still on square one.

Stan growled and turned away, his fists clenched. He paced the small room fiercely for a few moments, before punching open air in an attempt to vent his anger. It didn't work. "Why'd they take _Dipper?_ What's th' point!? No note, no ransom, no nothing! Just…. just…. _gah!"_ He grabbed his chair and turned it over. Stanford winced at his brother's rant, but did not stop him. He understood his twin's frustration all too well, he just dealt with it in a different way. It mostly involved getting irritated with his brother.

It's been an entire week since they came into Diagon Ally. The first day had been the hardest (and scariest). They had no leads, no plan, and no starting point. The entire day was spent wandering through shops and libraries, feeling utterly helpless. They didn't even know how to begin.

It wasn't until dusk when the twins realized they had nowhere to stay. The Stan-O-War was docked in a non-magical area, and Ford had no idea how to get back to it. Stan didn't take this very well, and he had one of his 'memory episodes,' as Ford liked to call it. They were homeless for one night. It was unsettling for both of them. Stan later said it was almost as bad as when he was kicked out by Dad.

….needless to say, the first day did not go well.

But things were better now. Since then, Stan 'found' some wizard money (courtesy of Ford's magnet gun) and they got a room to rent. Ford had begun research on wizards and they both knew much more about their world than before. They had a basic knowledge on nearly everything, from politics to magical creatures. Stan made sure to keep them up-to-date by reading the local newspaper. Unfortunately for their efforts, they had only found a small article detailing Dipper's disappearance—everything else was about some criminal group known as Death Eaters. Despite their new knowledge on the magical world, the twins were nearly clueless when it came to Dipper. They might as well be back where they started.

Ford gripped the papers and pushed them aside in frustration. "You want to go out? Fine, we'll go out. Let's wander the streets and interrogate pick-pockets because that's _so much better."_

Stan sighed in relief, happy to finally be on the move. He grabbed his wizard's hat and placed it on his head, but he didn't forget about his brother's quip. "You're bringin' that up _again?_ I thought he looked suspicious! If he didn't wanta' be questioned, he shouldn't be puttin' his hands in my pockets."

Ford shrugged his coat over his shoulders and opened the door. They shuffled down the skinny hall lined with doors, all leading into similar one-bedroom apartments. Being in such close quarters has been straining for the two brothers. They might have 'made up,' but that didn't mean the fighting was over. They were still repairing a broken relationship, each out of their comfort zone. Stan and Ford were planning on an exciting year, full of monsters, mysteries, and sailing. Instead they got a cramped apartment, work that lead to nowhere, and a mystery neither of them wanted. Plus they had to keep their head low. Stan had a feeling two 'muggles' would not be welcome here.

The Grunkles shuffled their way out of the inn. The inn keeper waved goodbye to them, and Stan grunted in response. The two twins stepped out of the restricting building and into the open street, where there was much foot traffic. Ford winced at the sudden sunlight and Stan pulled his hat down lower. Ford turned on his brother expectantly, arms crossed. "Okay. We're out on the street, what now?"

Stan rolled his eyes, "I didn't say I had a plan, alright? I just said we weren't gettin' anything done in _there._ "

Ford was about to say something bitter, but stopped himself. He shouldn't take his frustration out on his brother. He was trying just as hard as he was. And besides, it _did_ feel nice to be out of that inn. He sighed and started walking into the crowd. "Let's go then."

"Woah, wait. You're actually going along with this?"

"It's like you said, right? Better than being cramped inside all day."

Stan grinned. "Finally! You're getting me!" he laughed and sped past him, knocking shoulders. "C'mon Sixer. Let's find us some grub."

They wandered a bit before somehow winding back on the streets of Diagon Ally. Ford enjoyed being there. The entire place had a friendly atmosphere to it, much different to where they were staying. While there were many people and houses, it felt cramped and rushed. In Diagon Ally, it was open and welcoming. Stan's mood visibly lightened as he straightened up. "Maybe we can find a room to rent here, huh?"

"Maybe," Ford said, smiling. "Should we find some food then? I'm quite hungry myself."

"Actually," Stan started, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y'know, I've been thinking… those guys who took Dipper prob'ly aren't very friendly. And when we meet them we've gotta' be prepared."

Ford laughed and patting his side. "That's why we have guns, Stanley."

Stan laughed with him and pounded his fist into his hand. "And I've got Shakey and Scratchy." His impounded fist soon turned to nervous hand-fidgeting. "But, eh… still. I was thinking of gettin' a few magic things, ya know? Nothing big! Don't worry, just little stuff. For defense. Saw a little kiddie joke shop down the road the other day… some of the stuff in there actually looked kinda useful."

As smart as he was, Ford was having trouble understanding what his brother was implying. "Are you talking about wands? Because we can't use those Stanley. I've already checked—"

"No! Not wands. I don't need _those_ ," he said distastefully. After a week of being surrounded by magical folk, Stan grew a sort of annoyance toward wands. Wizards used them for _everything,_ especially for simple tasks. He once saw a witch drop her money pouch. Instead of bending down and picking it up like a normal person, she _pulled out her wand_ and _used a spell_ to pick it up. Stan saw it as lazy and hated it, especially since he knew he'd be doing the same thing in their position. "I was just thinkin' about little stuff. Somethin' that'd give us a bit of an edge if we got in a fight."

Ford thought about this, then shrugged. He wouldn't mind a few magical items under his belt, just so long they had the money for it. "Where were you thinking?"

Stan's eyes lit up and he grabbed his brother's shoulders, leading him into the crowd. "Alright, jus' remember this is just a lil' kiddie shop. Little stuff, alright? Later on we can get bigger things. But I checked inside and some of it was pretty good…"

"Stan, where are you taking me?" he asked with a mixture of concern, curiosity, and amusement.

Stan grinned with child-like excitement. He suddenly stopped and spun around theatrically. His hands were raised above his head in a presenting matter, and he stood with the same zest as if he were showing off the Mystery Shack. "Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes: Jokeshop!"

"A jokeshop," he repeated drily.

"Yeah, a jokeshop!" Stan said with replicated enthusiasm. "Jus' like the good ole' days! C'mon, it'll be fun!" he grabbed his brother's hand and dragged him inside.

The inside was incredibly large, much bigger than Ford expected (but not impossible so). Little children and young teenagers were everywhere, pressing their faces against displays and testing out enchanted candies. Ford's nose was hit with a strong odor of ozone, smoke, sweets, rubber, and…. Petunias?

"Over here!" Stan called. Ford's head shot up and saw his brother already searching through one of the racks. Stanford made his way over to see what he was looking at. "See this? Instant Black Powder…. From Peru! Fancy, ain't it?"

"That it is!" a voice chirped from behind them. The two men jumped and whirled around, and saw a young man in a uniform. He had flame-red hair and an abundance of freckles. He sported a winning grin that Stan recognized as a salesman-smile. He seemed prepared to give an elaborate presentation, but then stopped when he saw their faces. The boy stared, then laughed. An expression of mirth replaced his old one. "Well! I wasn't expecting that," he turned over his shoulder and called, "Oy Fred! Get over here!" another boy, identical to the first, seemed to materialize by his side. "Twins! Just like us!"

Fred laughed. "Blimey! That's us in fifty years, I'm telling you."

"So what's two geezers like yourselves doing down here in the kiddie section?" the first one asked. His brother gasped and hit him.

"For shame, George! Do not insult two well-paying elderly!" he scolded.

"No, it's alright," Ford sighed. "I am well aware of my age."

"And I think we're doing fine," Stan grumbled, waving them away. He had become very interested in the Peruvian Instant-Black Powder.

Fred frowned, "You sure? Wouldn't you rather see the grown-up section?"

The Pines twins perked up. They exchanged looks. "Grown-up section?"

"Yeah, we'll show you." They led them to the back, explaining all the way. "With You-Know-Poo going around, older folk've been gettin' worried. So we've made our own line of things up here."

"Shielding Cloak," Fred demonstrated, pulling one off the rack. "Protects you from simple hexes and spells—guaranteed!"

"Self-Shuffling stack of Cards," George added. "Of course, you probably have one of those already… but you can never have too many, I say!"

"Jinx Off," the previous one tried, "For maximum protection."

"And if you're searching for something for your grandkids—Oi! Hands off the merchandise!" George shouted. Stan jumped a bit, thinking he was caught (he might've pocketed a few things here and there), but it turned out to be one of the kids in the front. "You'll be paying double if I ya nick anything! Anyway, we ought to go. I'll leave you two going at it, yeah?"

"Holler if you need anything!"

With that, they left. Stan stared after them with a smirk, "I like their style. Anything catch yer eye, Sixer?"

"Surprisingly, yes," He picked up the Shielding Cloak and tried it on. "Count your Galleons, Stanley. We've got a lot of shopping to do."

* * *

"These smells are like gifts the air gives to the nose, _"_ Mabel said, referencing to the delicious odors of breakfast pastries. Waddles oinked in agreement and struggled in her arms, wanting to get out and inspect the food himself. She bent down the nearest house elf and shook his hand vigorously. "Hi! I'm Mabel! You're _soooo_ cute!"

The house elf blushed and looked down bashfully. _"Thank you, miss,"_ he mumbled.

The other elves weren't so accepting though. They glared at the trio and eyed them warily. One elf broke free from the crowd and rushed up to Harry.

"Harry Potter!" Dobby stopped at his feet and looked up at him with delighted eyes. "Dobby is happy to see you, sir."

Harr smiled a genuine smile, "Yeah, I'm happy to see you too Dobby. I uh, brought you some more socks. And Hermione said hi." He gave Dobby a pair of mismatched socks, which he accepted gratefully.

"Socks! Oh, you shouldn't have, sir. How will Dobby repay him?"

"There's really no need for that Dobby. It's just a gift."

"Thank you so much sir!" He hugged them and wasted no time in pulling them over his feet. Then he became more serious. "What is Harry Potter doing here, sir? If Dobby can ask."

"Just showing a new friend around," he said, gesturing to Mabel and her pig. "She wanted to see the kitchens."

Another house elf approached Ron diffidently, making a wide birth around Dobby and his socks. "Is the Granger Miss with you?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah, she's back in the tower. She didn't want to come."

The elves visibly lightened after that. They pulled up some chairs for them and brought them platter after platter of food — though they were noticeably more hospitable toward Mabel than the two boys. Mabel tried the new foods with gusto, being sure to give a good portion to her pig companion. The house elves seemed to take a liking to her constant compliments and upbeat attitude.

Just when things were starting to pick up and they were having a good time, the door bust open. Filch stood there triumphantly, a sneer on his face and Mrs. Norris under his arm. His yellowed eyes scanned the room before resting on Harry and his friends. He snickered and pet Mrs. Norris, "Well done. She followed you here, she did. Led me right to ya." He started his way over to them.

Ron froze and looked toward Harry with panicked eyes. "Was Mrs. Norris following us?"

Harry covered his face and groaned. "Apparently so!"

Filch grabbed them roughly by the arms before noticing Mabel, still sitting on her seat. She was clutching Waddles and shifting uncomfortably. She knew Filch from around the school. Every encounter with him wasn't nice; he didn't like smiling or laughing _or_ stickers. Filch motioned for her to follow him and she did so unwillingly, sticking a tongue out as soon as his back was turned.

Dobby came behind them, an angry look on his face. He raised his hand and was about to intervene but Harry motioned for him to get back, shaking his head. Potter knew that Dobby would protect him until the end, but this was honestly not something worth fighting over.

Mabel trudged behind guiltily. This was _her_ fault. She was the one who suggested sneaking out in the first place, and now they were all going to get house points taken away and probably detention. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and felt something. It was rough, chalky, and in a ball-shape. She smiled, knowing exactly what it was. They might be getting detention, but _not today!_

 _"_ _ENCHANTED GLITTER BOMB!"_

"Wha—"

 _Poomf!_

The air became saturated with glitter and sparkles, and the kitchen descended into pandemonium. Waddles squealed and bolted toward the exit, going between Filch's legs and knocked him off his feet. Mrs. Norris yowled and clawed at his leg, making him curse loudly. The House Elves stumbled around in shock and confusion, knocking things over and yelling at the trio angrily. Harry and Ron were doubled over, coughing and wiping their eyes. Mabel, however, was used to an excess of glitter and was unfazed by the sparkly cloud. She pushed them toward the exit, "Why are you standing around? Let's _move!"_

Still coughing and only half-aware of their surroundings, they let Mabel guide them to the exit. They fell through the hole, landing in a pile at Waddle's feet, who had been waiting for them patiently. Harry looked up at the pig, glasses askew and covered in pink, shimmery dust. The swine snorted and licked his face.

"Up up up!" Mabel urged, already on her feet. "Get the cloak Harry!"

Harry stumbled to his feet and pulled out his cloak. Mabel took it and threw it over them, grabbing Waddles just in time. Filch stumbled out of the hole, cursing and covered in scratch marks. Inside, they could see that the dust had settled and now everything was covered in a thin coat of glitter. Ron had come to his senses, and realized that they were already in about as much trouble as they can be in so there was no use in staying. He pushed Harry and Mabel forward. "Go! Let's go!"

"ONWARD MY SHINY FRIENDS!" Mabel screamed, "TO FREEDOM!"

Between Mabel and Ron, Harry got the general idea and bolted. The cloak was flapping and exposing their feet, but he didn't really care. Sparkles and shiny bits fell from their robes and hair as they ran. The rain pounding against the windows only added to their excitement.

Harry wasn't sure how it happened, but they somehow managed to get back to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry leaned against the wall, coughing glitter and trying to clean his glasses. The sparkles shone out obviously through his dark, black hair. Ron was sitting on the floor, laughing. _"Hahaha…._ we're _so_ dead…"

Mabel was grinning like a maniac, bouncing on her feet and admiring her shiny clothes. " _AhaWOW!_ I definitely won't be allowed to do _that_ again!"

Harry wanted to get mad, but couldn't. He shook his head, small bits falling from his head. "That was lunacy. Filch is gonna' _kill_ us tomorrow." Despite his supposedly angry tone, he couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

"But did you have _fuuunnn?"_ Mabel drawled, putting much emphasis on the word. Harry looked down at her excited, hopeful face. He gave in and finally laughed.

"It was brilliant."

Mabel cheered and wrapped the two boys in a group hug. "Awkward friendship hug!"

 _"_ _What happened to you!?"_

They looked up, and saw the groggy-eyed student from earlier—the one who had fallen asleep on the couch. They exchanged glances and realized how ridiculous they looked. The group burst out in another fit of laughter. Ron wiped at his eyes.

"Mabel happened to us," he answered between chuckles. "Mabel."

* * *

 **Hopefully this chapter was okay and the Grunkles made it worth the wait. Again I don't own Gravity Falls or Harry Potter.**


	15. Chapter 15: Sor-ry

**Chapter 15: Sor-** ** _ry_**

Mabel, Ron, and Harry sat on one side of the table while Hermione sat on the other. And Hermione was confused.

The Golden Trio knew Mabel as the annoying second year who tried _way too hard_ on becoming their friend. She had been harassing them since day one, popping around corners, sitting at their tables, asking for advice. Since she made the Quidditch team (and after it became clear to Hermione that Mabel _wasn't_ flirting with Harry), she had become bearable. They became used to her crazy antics and even _expected_ it at this point.

Before, when Mabel was around, Hermione was usually caught between ignoring her and making light conversation. Ron still found her annoying, and was convinced that she was touched in the head. But Harry seemed to have accepted the fact of the Pines being in his life, no matter how unwillingly.

But either way, Hermione did _not_ consider her a friend. A genial acquaintance, perhaps. But not a friend.

However, whatever happened last night might've changed Mabel's status.

"Whatever _happened_ last night?" Hermione demanded. The three were sitting together, grinning and murmuring excitedly. They could hardly look at each other before bursting out in laughter. Even from across the table, Hermione could see reflective flakes sprinkled in their hair. If Granger didn't know any better, she would say it was glitter.

Harry looked up at her, eyes sparkling with private joke. "Mabel happened to us," he answered. Ron snorted on his milk, recognizing the words from last night.

Mabel heard sharp, purposeful footsteps on tile. She swiveled in her seat and saw McGonagall approaching, and she was angrier than Mabel had ever seen. "Uh oh, here comes the fun police."

Harry and Ron looked up at the same time, then instantly ducked their heads, hoping beyond hope that she wasn't coming for them. The footsteps stopped directly behind them, and a taut voice spoke out. "You three, come with me.

Mabel, Ron, and Harry nodded and stood up. Out of habit, Hermione stood with them. Then she quickly realized her mistake and sat back down, face pink.

The Professor led them to them to her office and sat down at her desk. They stood across from her, but did not sit. There were no seats and she didn't offer them any. So there they stood, uncomfortable, anxious, and sweaty. Mabel smiled and McGonagall, but it died when she saw her cold stare. If felt like hours before she spoke.

"Do you have any idea the mess you caused last night!? The elves were up all night, _cleaning."_ She paused. Ron was about to point out that that's what house elves do: _cleaning._ But then he thought the better of it. Mabel and Harry, however, felt guilty. They didn't think about who would have to mop it all up. "I almost wish they hadn't. Then I could've made you three do it as punishment."

Mabel spared a glance at the boys' faces. Both were bowed in shame and anxiousness. She wrung her hands nervously and remembered Draco. He blamed _her_ for getting caught. What if they did the same?

"And not only that, but you've dragged _Mabel_ into your antics!" she exclaimed. "I can expect this behavior from you two, but you should _not—"_

"It was my fault!" she cried. There was a moment of silence, and McGonagall looked genuinely surprised.

"What?"

"It was my fault. _I_ threw the glitter bomb and _I_ was the one who suggested the Kitchens." The last part was only half true. Harry was the one who mentioned Kitchens, but it was Mabel who wanted to go out in the first place. "They were just trying to be… nice? They were just trying to be nice to me."

"Mabel—" Harry started, but she cut him off.

"Don't defend me Harry."

McGonagall sunk in her seat, eyes tired. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, wait outside my office."

They hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Ron gave Mabel a sympathetic look before stepping outside. The door shut, leaving Mabel and the Professor alone.

"Ms. Pines," McGonagall started, "You don't have to take the fall for them—"

"I'm not!" she assured. "Totally my idea."

"Which they followed. Now—"

"Nope! All mine! I'm the mastermind. I did everything."

"Ms. Pines…"

"I get detention now, right? Where's detention? Tell me and I'll be on my way."

"Ms. Pines! Please!" She held up a hand, begging her for a moment to speak. "I am not… I'm not going to punish you."

Mabel raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wait, really?"

"Yes. I know… I know this year has been hard on you, without your brother." Mabel tightened and rocked on her heels, feeling very uncomfortable. She was _not_ expecting the conversation to go like this. "And we were foolish to think that it wouldn't manifest in negative ways."

"Yup, yup, yup," the girl nodded, eager to finish the lecture.

"So that is why I think we should get you a counselor. To help you."

"Boo!" she crowed, "No counselor."

"I think one would help."

"No, I think I'm fine."

McGonagall ignored her protests, "I will talk to Dumbledore about it, but until then you are dismissed. No punishment for you or your friends. But," she warned, "I will not be so generous next time. Sneaking out after hours is serious and dangerous. Don't do it ever again. Are we understood?"

Mabel nodded solemnly and began to walk out. She paused at the door, "You know, I really don't need a counselor."

"Dismissed."

"Just saying." Mabel closed the door and leaned against it, needing a moment to collect her thoughts. She thought she was alone, which was why Mabel nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Ron speak.

"You survived!"

"Mabel, you didn't have to do that," Harry said. "It was as much as our fault as it was yours."

"How many weeks of detention did you get?" Ron asked. "You really shouldn't have taken the fall for us. I don't mind detention…. That much."

A smile grew on Mabel's face as her confidence returned. _"Actually,_ I didn't get any punishment!"

"What!?"

"No way. How?"

"No one can say 'no' to this smile!" she laughed. "Guess it's just irresistible."

Ron shook his head, but looked relieved. "'Still think you're a loon, but it honestly suits you."

Mabel blushed and shoved him a harder than necessary, "Aww, you _rascal."_

The Pines girl was in a good mood for the rest of the day. Despite the threat of a nosy counselor, it was easy to push that thought away and focus on more happy things. Like wands and enchanted stickers and friends. She was _so_ relieved that Harry was accepting her as a part of his group. Sure, there was that whole 'do it or your brother dies' side, but… it's been kinda lonely, being in a new school with no brother or friends. There's only so many rap battles you can have with your pig.

Jeez, Mabel wished Dipper was here. He was such a dork. He'd be _so_ happy here, learning _actual_ magic. It was kind of ironic, really. She fought so hard to keep her brother with her during the summer, but now she would do anything to have him safe at home (instead of with that creepy guy).

The thought of the Dark Lord sent shivers up her spine. Who even _was_ that guy, anyway? Mabel knew he was dark, secretive, and bit of a threat, but beyond that? Not much. She just hoped he was treating Dipper okay. Images of Dipper starving in a cage briefly flashed through her imaginative mind, but she shook them away. He was fine. He must be. She was doing her mission, and the Dark Lord promised not to hurt him so long she did that.

Mabel realized that she was clutching her mark, which was a surprise. Most days she forgot that it was even there. But sometimes, whenever feelings of worry or loneliness visited her, Mabel found herself rubbing the blemish. She quickly withdrew her hand. The mark was unsettling and she tried to ignore it.

That afternoon, she was in the library doing research for her Transfiguration essay. Sure, Mabel was never one for schoolwork, but when you need to make up an entire year, you've got to care _sometime._ Anyway, she was flipping through the dusty books, when someone caught her eye. At the edge of her peripheral vision, Mabel saw Draco Malfoy in an armchair, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of books. She smiled and stood up, seeing this as a perfect time to smooth things over with the pureblood.

Draco was a jerk, Mabel understood that perfectly. But what happened in the empty classroom just a few days ago…. She thought he was just being inexcusably jerky. Then it turns out he _did_ have a reason. He got in a fight with his girlfriend—Pansy—because she thought he was cheating on her. Like, who _wouldn't_ be grumpy after that, right? Mabel was so relieved to learn Draco had a reason. And with it, maybe a reasonable side?

Despite this, the twin still approached him cautiously. She stood to the side, waiting to be noticed. When nothing happened, Mabel waved a hand and stage-whispered a tentative "Hi."

Draco jumped and closed his book sharply, hiding the cover against his chest. His eyes jumped around the room before settling of her for the first time. He relaxed slightly and set down his book, but was quick to look annoyed. "What are you here for, Pines? To screw things up again?"

Automatically, Mabel shook her head. She took a deep breath and decided to dive right in. "Look, I think we should talk about what happened earlier."

"And relive another moment spent with you? _No thank you."_

Mabel ignored the quip and sat down in the sofa across from him. "I know about Pansy, and I'm sorry about that. But that's what happens in relationships sometimes! Believe me, I've got _tons_ of experience. Lucky for you, I'm a master matchmaker and I'll fix you two up in a jiffy."

He waved her aside, "Please, we've already made up. It took some work, but in reality Pansy could never survive long without me."

Mabel narrowed her eyes at the audacious comment about Pansy, but said nothing of it. "That's good! Super great, glad you're back together. But besides that, I think our argument got a _bit_ out of hand and we both said some things we regret. I, for one, didn't mean it when I said I'll stop working with you. Do you regret anything?"

Draco had long ago stopped caring for this conversation. He was already back in a lounging position, skimming the pages of his book. "I am regretting this current discussion."

"Close, but not really. How about when you said I was stupid? Or that Dipper was stupid? (He isn't stupid, by the way, he's super smart). Or when you said it was my fault my twin got captured? Do you feel bad about any of those things?"

"Oh, let me think…. Uh, _no._ No I don't," he briefly looked up at her. "Never apologize for elucidating candid facts."

Mabel stared back and gave him a deadpan frown, her voice dropping to a more disappointed tone. "I think there's a difference between facts and harmful assumptions, Draco." Then, just as suddenly, it perked back up again. "Look, all I want to hear is a sorry, okay? It's easy! Sor- _ry._ See?"

"I won't apologize to a mudblood."

The very beginnings of frustration treated her mind, but she tried to ignore them. " _Ugh_ , boys are so stubborn. Just say sorry! You know what you did was wrong. I mean, I know you were mad but it's no excuse to take it out on me."

"I had every right to be angry!" he sat up in his seat. "You got us caught!"

"And it turned out fine!" she said. "Everything! Fine! Why is it such a big deal?"

"We were lucky. If anybody but Professor Snape found us, my entire mission would be ruined. My one chance to return honor to my family, gone! And we'd both be dead, too."

"Which is why next time, we'll be more careful. _I'll_ be more careful. But whether you like it or not—whether you _apologize_ or not—we need to work together on this. It's the only way."

He stood up, now thoroughly provoked. "I don't need help! I don't need _anyone's_ help! Especially not from some _filthy, stupid,_ Mudblood!" Several heads turned their direction, but both were too preoccupied to notice them.

Whatever patience Mabel had was gone now. She stood up sharply and advanced. "Look, I'm going to be _helpful,"_ she started, punctuation every word with a jab in the chest, "You're going to be _grateful._ And I'm not going to let you ruin everything with your wacky racism!" She pushed him rearward, successfully forcing him back onto the cushions of his armchair.

Draco cowered before the now towering girl, shocked by her show of force; but he was quick to regain his composure. Malfoy's features returned to an annoyed glare as his eyes flitted to the side, "Well…. I suppose there is _something_ you can do…"

* * *

"Look-out duty was _not_ what I had in mind for helping," Mabel sulked as she stood between the female forms of Crabbe and Goyle, very far from happy.


	16. Chapter 16: Contact

**Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews! Seriously, 68 reviews is awesome. And I love that you guys are invested enough to make suggestions and stuff, but I need to clear a few things up.**

 **So some of you seem to have your heart set on Bill Cipher making an appearance. And I'm sorry about this, but no. He's knocked out of existence right now, and if he returns he won't come back as a powerful triangle, that's for sure. And he certainly won't come back in this story. If I had him come back it'd totally knock the direction of this story in a completely different way. But I do like the idea of a boggart scene. I can work with that (but Bill wouldn't come back even as a boggart. The twins have different fears now. Sorry).**

 **And I'm going to be straight with y'all. I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out. I don't have a lot of time for writing anymore. I can't stay up late like I used to, otherwise I get sick. I have to be up at 5 AM four out of the seven days of the week because of my seminary, plus school and homework. Any free time I have usually goes to my drawing or book. But I do have the basis laid out for the next chapter. I'll try to find the time to clean it up this week. And since we finish the first section of our story in this chapter, maybe I can find motivation again to dedicate more time to this.**

 **But hopefully this is a good chapter for you guys. I'm not sure if I'm happy with it, but it was a personal goal to reach this section. So I hope it's okay and not as awkward as it feels to me. R &R. **

* * *

**Chapter 16: Contact**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were packing up their bags. They had just finished Transfiguration and were eager to go. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

"You may all go, except for you three." She pointed to them, "May I speak to you after class?"

"Err, yes?" Harry said, though it sounded more like a question than an answer. McGonagall nodded and retreated to her desk, patiently waiting for the room to be sufficiently empty.

Ron gave them worried looks. "What did we do _this_ time?"

"Perhaps this is about the little _sneak out_ you did with Mabel," Hermione muttered bitterly.

"Oh, c'mon. You're not still mad about that, are you?"

Hermione didn't answer verbally, but her glare was more than enough. Harry got between them. "Oh, cut it out you two. We don't want a duel in front of McGonagall, do you?"

Once the classroom emptied and there was no one but them and McGonagall left, they sat themselves in front of her desk. Hermione bit her lip uncomfortably (even though she knew she did nothing wrong) and awaited whatever scolding was in store.

"I wanted to start this off by saying thank you."

Harry didn't think he heard correctly. "You— _what?"_

"For being so good to Ms. Pines. Though she hides it well, I know this year has been unimaginable hard for her. And to have such good friends—"

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Hermione was never one to interrupt a teacher, but she always made sure to let them be aware if she didn't understand something.

McGonagall looked surprised. "Surely, she's told you? About her brother, Dipper?"

They exchanged clueless looks and sounds of confusion. "Err… no, I can't say she has."

The Professor sighed deeply, "Of _course_ she hasn't… well, I hardly think it is my place to tell you, but knowing you three, you will find out anyways." She straightened and folded her hands over the desk. "Mabel's brother, Dipper Pines, went missing minutes before boarding the train to Hogwarts. They were very close, and I wanted to _thank_ you for helping a younger student through these tough times."

Hermione covered her mouth, "That's awful!"

Harry leaned forward in his seat, "What happened to him?"

"We don't know. Ms. Pines' memory was erased during the incident, and thus far there have been no leads."

Ron looked away and nodded in agreement. He remembered when Ginny went missing in the basilisk's chamber. Even though it was only for a few hours, it was terrifying to think about what could've happened. But at least he _knew_ what was going on. He couldn't imagine going for _months_ without knowing where she was or what happened to her. It would drive him mad. "How old was he?"

"Same age. They were twins."

"Twins!" Great, now he felt even worse. He couldn't imagine Fred and George apart.

"Absolutely _no_ information?" Harry asked, _"No_ leads whatsoever? I mean, there must be something. Right?"

The old Professor seemed to age by the minute. Her eyes were long and hands were clasped. "None."

"That's awful," Hermione repeated quietly, as if she couldn't believe it. "Poor Mabel…"

There was a moment of thoughtful silence as they processed the information. Then McGonagall shook her head and rearranged herself. "Well, that was what I wanted to say. I trust that you won't bring it up to her? She must've been keeping it a secret for a reason. And please, don't launch an investigation by yourselves."

Harry nodded thoughtfully as he got out of his seat to leave. Hermione and Ron followed his lead and started for the door.

"I mean it," she repeated sternly, "Don't go looking into this. They've already got people on the job."

"Yes Professor. Thank you Professor." They closed the door behind them and Ron faced his friends.

"So we're totally looking into this, right?"

"Yes."

"Definitely," Hermione agreed. "I can't believe she would keep something like that secret!"

"I've always imagined Mabel as an open book. But I guess she has more secrets than we thought," Harry muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"I mean, I guess I can understand it… in a way," Hermione contemplated, trying to see from Mabel's point of view. "I wouldn't want to talk about it either."

"But that girl talks _constantly."_

"Maybe she has talked about it," Ron interjected, his voice quiet. "But we just ignored her."

Harry shifted uncomfortably, "What'd you mean by that, Ron?"

"Oh, come off it. Don't tell me that you haven't tuned her out before! I do it all the time. Maybe she's talked about 'Dipper' before, but we've never listened."

"It's possible," Hermione shrugged, "But she says so many strange things it's hard to decipher reality from truth. Yesterday, we had an argument over whether or not unicorns were evil."

Despite the heavy mood, Ron snorted. "Honestly?"

Harry shook his head and rummaged through his bag. "Look, I'd love to stay here and talk about the intricacies of Mabel, but I've got class. And besides, we've got enough 'mysteries' on our plate as it is. If you're so curious, why don't you just go up and ask her?"

She lifted her chin, "Well, maybe I will."

"I've got classes too," Ron sighed. "See you later 'Mione."

* * *

Mabel rocked on her feet. She looked to the one on her left—pretty sure he was Crabbe. "So….. do we just sit here, or...?"

Crabbe looked panicked for a second, as if he wasn't used to being asked things. He mumbled something incomprehensible and shrugged his shoulders. He turned his back to her and focused on the scales in his hand. Mabel frowned.

Draco had said that they were given polyjuice potion to look disguise themselves. Even with their limited vocabulary, it was clear they were not happy with their current female forms. Mabel tried making conversation with them, but they were either unwilling or unable to. The one who she _thought_ was Goyle was on the other end of the hallway. She skipped over to him, hoping he was a bit more entertaining.

"Hey! I was just wondering how long we'll be out here. See, I've got classes and—"

"Until Draco comes out," he mumbled. His voice was surprisingly soft for someone so large.

"Yup. Any idea how long that will be?"

He scowled at her. "Don't question authority, Mudblood."

Okay. Wow. Rude. She briefly remembered Ford's advice about the elbow being the hardest part of the body, but thought better of it. She shrugged and backed away, settling for the section of wall between them. Mabel considered walking away and doing something else, but she _really_ needed to help Draco. It was hard enough getting lookout duty (as boring as it may be), and she wasn't about mess it up. She leaned against the wall and set her scales down. From inside her pockets, she pulled out a set of knitting needles and a spool of yarn. _'Well, looks like this'll be a while. Might as well make the best of it.'_

Knitting will help make time fly, and hopefully distract her from negative thoughts. Like Dipper and Weirdmaggedon and stuff. But the real question was who she should make the sweater for.

The Pines girl pulled out her wand and stared at the colorless yarn. Turns out magic was _super_ handy when it came to Arts n' Crafts. So far, she's learned how to make Glitter Bombs, Moving Stickers, Glowing Hats, _and_ how to change the color of yarn; so she doesn't have to carry fifty spools everywhere she went. McGonagall taught her most of the spells, at Mabel's request. She really liked Professor McGonagall. She was super helpful and nice. Maybe she should make a sweater for her?

Liking the idea, Mabel changed the white spool to red and began knitting.

Before she could get very far, however, the wall rumbled and changed to a door. And from it, Draco emerged, looking simultaneously frustrated and determined. "I'm off to the library," he announced. "Don't wait up."

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged confused looks before chasing after him. Mabel remained on the floor, with the very beginnings of a sweater hanging from her knitting needles. She blinked, unsure what to do. On one hand, she could stay here until she needed to go to her next class, _or_ she could follow him and possibly irritate him more. Mabel wasn't stupid. She knew Draco didn't like her. But she had been hoping that her boundless optimism and charm would eventually win him over.

Before she could decide, however, several loud _thumps_ and a curse came from down the hall. Mabel's head snapped to the side and saw who other than Hermione, surrounded by countless numbers of fallen books. Mabel guessed she dropped them. "Ooh! Let me help you!"

Hermione looked up and smiled and Mabel. She quickly shook her head, "No, it's okay. I've got it." She took out her wand and the books arranged themselves into neat piles and started to float.

"Why didn't you do that in the first place?"

"Old habits, I suppose." She crossed the hall and stood in front of Mabel, books behind her. She looked down at her knitting needles, "You knit?"

"Only every day of my life!"

Hermione grinned, "Brilliant! I knit too, you see. For the house elves mostly. May I sit down?"

"Nope, I'm saving this spot for someone else." Mabel laughed and shoved her, "It's for _you,_ you doy!"

 _"_ _Haha,_ ow." She sat down and rubbed her hip. Mabel was surprisingly strong. "What are you working on?"

"A sweater for my favorite Professor! The _Madame_ McGonagall." She snickered at the nickname and Hermione laughed along uneasily, not really finding it funny but knew it was necessary for the questions she was about to ask.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Hermione finally found a good icebreaker. "My parents of dentists, you know."

"Dentists?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm muggle-born, you see. I'm an only child. It was quite a shock for them when I got my letter—"

"What's 'muggle-born?'"

"It's where both of your parents are non-magical."

"Oh!" she nodded in understanding, as if it all made sense. "You mean Mudblood! I'm a Mudblood too. No wizards in my family!"

Hermione looked at her in shock. "Don't say that! Mudblood is a _very_ insulting term. Who on Earth told you otherwise?"

The girl shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Um… _haha._ I don't really, uh—"

"You know what? It doesn't matter." They were getting off topic. "Do you have any family?"

She perked up. "Yeah! Mom and Dad and Grunkle Stan and Ford and Dipper! There's also Soos and Wendy who are _great_ friends. Dipper used to have a crush on Wendy but he's _way_ too young for her. He's such a nerd…"

Well, that was easier than she thought it'd be. "Who's Dipper?"

Mabel's smile became softer. "My twin brother. He's honestly the best brother in the world. Really smart too." She paused, "'Wish he'd shower more."

"Was he a wizard?"

"Yeah! He got the letter, like I did. Dipper was super excited to come. But uh… H-he, um… _disappeared_ before we could. Some creepo took him."

"That's awful. I'm so sorry." Wow, this was much easier than Hermione thought it'd be. For someone who was supposedly tight-lipped about her family, Mabel was being unexpectedly open. Hermione almost felt bad, actually. She had prepared herself for prying, but now that this very personal information was given freely, the intellectual girl felt almost guilty. But this didn't deter her from the questions. "Do you remember anything?"

It didn't occur to Hermione until after she asked that Mabel hadn't told her that her memory was erased yet. Thankfully, Mabel seemed too distracted with her own thoughts to notice Granger's slip-up.

"No! Nope! Completely blank!" Her head shook quickly, hair going everywhere. Some strands got tangled in her knitting needles. "They erased my memory."

"I'm sorry. Were… were you two close?"

 _"_ _Definitely._ We were the Mystery Twins! We work really well together, like peanut butter and jelly. Dipper and I were always together. It's uh…" she trailed off and she gripped her knitting needles. Mabel noticed for the past few months, she had been avoiding any thoughts relating to Dipper. And now that she had to talk about him… it stung. "I miss him. A lot."

Mabel's voice cracked and Hermione's heart broke. _'This was a stupid idea. You don't go prying into these things for the sake of curiosity.'_ The younger girl was clearly uncomfortable. This was stupid st _upid stu—_

"Want to hear a story about him?"

"I… what?"

"Want to hear a story?" she leaned against the wall. "He saved me from a bunch of gnomes once."

"You don't have to—"

"I _want_ to," Mabel answered firmly.

Hermione was surprised at the determination in her eyes. "Yes, Mabel. I would love to hear a story."

"Okay. So at the beginning of Summer I was on an epic quest to find the _perfect_ summer romance…" Mabel then spun a tale about zombies and gnomes and mysterious journals. Grumpy uncles and paranoid brothers and stacked-up monsters. Hermione was constantly torn between belief and disbelief, but the story was nonetheless fascinating. Mabel had a talent for telling stories. She knew how to build suspense, and kept the listener engaged with body motions.

She was in the middle of explaining how exactly they used a leaf blower to defeat a gnome army when she slapped her forehead. "Oh shoot! I forgot I had class!"

Hermione found herself disappointed as she watched the girl stuff her needles into her pockets and return the scales to her bag. She was enjoying the story. Mabel waved goodbye as she ran off. "I'll tell you the rest later, okay?"

"Alright!"

Mabel disappeared down the hall and Hermione sat back against the wall. "Well, that didn't go as expected." But then again, when has Hermione's life _ever_ gone as expected?

* * *

Later that night, Mabel was asleep in her bed. It wasn't something she had intended on doing. In fact, Mabel's least favorite thing to do was sleeping. Too many nightmares and not enough dreams. She usually tried to stay up as long as possible before dropping dead in her covers, because she realized that the more tired she was, the least likely she'd dream.

But this could only work for so long before it catches up and sleep overtakes the victim hours before they planned. This was one of those nights. But for once, maybe it was for the better.

Mabel dreamt of a grey room devoid of all color and objects. Behind her, she heard a voice. "Mabel!"

She turned around and saw Dipper, looking relieved beyond belief. Mabel didn't care if this was just another nightmare, or if he would disappear in her arms, she was just _so happy_ to see him again. "Dipper!" She ran forward with her arms outstretched, but Dipper suddenly backed away and shook his head.

"No! Wait!" He dove to the side and Mabel pulled back just in time. "The connection's too weak, we can't touch."

She instantly sensed that this wasn't an average dream—or nightmare. "Dipper, what is going on?"

"Our dreamscapes. I connected them."

"So you're real?"

Dipper nodded. They observed each other from an awkward distance, wanting to touch but both feeling the boundary of his 'no touch' rule. Dipper looked thinner than he had before, more tired. His shoulders sagged and his robes were worn. He observed her, still in a state of disbelief. Dipper was then overcome with emotion. His hand flew up to his mouth and his eyes watered. "Oh Mabel…"

Mabel rushed to his side and they knelt on the ground together, being very careful not to touch. "I d-didn't think I'd ever see you again…"

"Sh, sh. It's alright," Mabel comforted.

He choked back a sob and nodded. "I know, I know. It's just—" He hugged himself but kept his eyes on Mabel. It's been too long since he'd seen a friendly face, since he'd seen his best friend.

"You're here now. You're safe now."

This could've happened nights ago. He could've seen her nights ago but he forgot to warn her about the weak contact. "I'm so sorry _I'm so st-stupid."_

Her eyebrows creased. Oh, how she wished she could hug him. He really needed one. "You're not. You're _so_ smart Dipper. You got here on your own, without any help. You're not stupid."

He let those words sink in, nodding. They had so many things to do before they woke up, but—

"Can… can we just sit here for a moment? Please?" Just a moment with his sister. That's all, just a moment. Before they dive back into the craziness.

Mabel nodded and place her hands next to his, again not touching. They sat for an unknown amount of time — hours maybe — finding comfort in each other's presence. Slowly, Dipper's breathing slowed and tears stopped. Mabel felt like crying herself, but didn't. It's been too long since they've seen each other…

The moment was abruptly broken when Mabel spoke.

"Are you okay? Is he treating you okay?"

Dipper shook his head, "No, it's… let's not talk about…" Not yet. She doesn't need to know. Not yet. Too many other important things. "The cabinet. Have you fixed it yet?"

She frowned and wrung her hair uneasily. The expression on her face was all he needed to know.

"No, you haven't. That's… that's okay. How close are you?"

"I… uh, I don't know."

"Don't know?" Dipper's fists clenched. "How could you not know!?"

"The guy I'm working with is a really big jerk, okay? He won't even let me _see_ the cabinet, let alone—"

"What have you been doing this entire time!?" he said it louder than he meant to, but he couldn't help it. He ran his hands through his hair, "You need to fix it, Mabel!"

"I know! I know! I'm sorry. But he's a jerk and—"

"The guys _I_ am with are really big jerks!"

"I'll fix it, okay?" Draco will let her help him, for real this time. And if he doesn't like it, she'll… she'll… "Tomorrow, okay? I'll demand to be let in."

Dipper groaned and covered his face. "I can't believe this."

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the Dreamscape. It was incomprehensible to Mabel, but Dipper understood it. He paled.

"Look, I've g-got to go. I need to wake up right now. Just… please focus on the cabinet, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

The screechy voice came again. He flinched wrung his hands. He wasn't ready to go yet. "Tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He stood up and readied himself. "Tomorrow."

He disappeared into vapor.


End file.
